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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 124 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.

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

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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: firm · tear · bear · board · cabinet · tube · field · ground

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. bear — the animal
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. tube — a container
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. board — a committee
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. field — a subject
  18. firm — steady
  19. ground — crushed
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ground — a position
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. firm — a company
  24. firm — decided

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