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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: hide · field · pop · tear · track · object · face · key

  1. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. face — to confront
  3. face — to point toward
  4. tear — from crying
  5. object — an aim
  6. pop — soda
  7. field — a subject
  8. key — the most important part
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. track — a path
  11. key — in music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. key — for a lock
  14. field — farmland
  15. face — part of the head
  16. object — to protest
  17. field — for sport
  18. pop — to visit
  19. tear — to rip
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. pop — music
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. object — a thing
  24. track — a song

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