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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: nail · field · last · suit · tear · leaves · rash · bat

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. suit — to fit
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. last — finally
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — for sport
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. tear — from crying
  13. tear — from crying
  14. rash — a series
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bat — the animal
  17. suit — in cards
  18. last — final
  19. suit — clothes
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. field — a subject
  22. tear — to rip
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. field — farmland

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