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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 120 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: calf · band · field · ground · land · tear · rock · cap

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cap — a lid
  6. ground — the earth
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. land — to come down
  9. cap — of ice
  10. tear — from crying
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. land — ground
  13. band — a ring
  14. ground — crushed
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — a hat
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. tear — from crying
  20. ground — a position
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. band — a music group
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. rock — music

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