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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: field · rest · dip · ground · tear · present · rash · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. present — the time now
  6. rash — a series
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — the earth
  13. field — for sport
  14. dip — to sink
  15. tear — from crying
  16. present — there
  17. tear — to rip
  18. present — a gift
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. field — farmland
  22. rash — hasty
  23. tear — from crying
  24. ground — a position

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