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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.

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: season · kick · nail · can · cue · field · press · tear

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. tear — from crying
  3. kick — in football
  4. field — farmland
  5. season — of the year
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. press — newspapers
  9. field — a subject
  10. press — to push
  11. can — a tin
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. season — in sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. cue — a signal
  17. press — a publisher
  18. tear — from crying
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. cue — a hint
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. cue — for pool
  23. tear — to rip
  24. field — for sport

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