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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: tear · rash · ground · board · kick · field · calf · cabinet

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rash — hasty
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. board — to get on
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — in football
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. tear — from crying
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. ground — the earth
  20. tear — to rip
  21. board — a committee
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — for sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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