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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: hide · can · staff · lie · field · fan · squash · snap

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. can — to be able to
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. squash — to crush
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. squash — the sport
  14. can — a tin
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. staff — employees
  19. lie — to recline
  20. field — a subject
  21. snap — to click
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — employees

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