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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: safe · field · tear · fine · hide · file · spell · straw

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. field — farmland
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. tear — from crying
  8. file — a line of people
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fine — all right
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — to rip
  15. file — a document
  16. fine — high quality
  17. spell — magic
  18. file — a tool
  19. spell — letters
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — for sport
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. hide — to keep secret

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