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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: pass · field · ground · wound · hide · dip · cold · saw

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. wound — an injury
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. saw — the tool
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. cold — an illness
  13. ground — the earth
  14. ground — crushed
  15. dip — to sink
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. field — farmland
  18. cold — not warm
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. pass — a permit
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ground — a position
  24. cold — the Cold War

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