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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: hide · bear · rest · field · land · foot · can · tear

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rest — a break
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. can — a tin
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. rest — what's left
  11. can — to be able to
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tear — from crying
  17. can — a tin
  18. land — a country
  19. tear — to rip
  20. land — ground
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. field — for sport
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. land — to come down

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