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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 116 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: season · field · bowl · tear · hide · safe · bark · wind

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. tear — to rip
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — to shout
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — farmland
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tear — from crying
  14. field — a subject
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wind — moving air
  24. season — in sport

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