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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: can · hide · cabinet · field · present · tear · key · bass

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. field — farmland
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — to be able to
  6. tear — to rip
  7. key — the most important part
  8. can — a tin
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. field — for sport
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. tear — from crying
  13. key — in music
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. bass — the fish
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — low music
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. tear — from crying
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — a subject
  23. present — a gift
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com