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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. field — farmland
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. saw — the tool
  5. field — for sport
  6. cap — of ice
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. kid — child
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. roll — a cake
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. cap — a hat
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. saw — the tool
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kid — to tease
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. roll — a list
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. field — a subject
  24. cap — a lid

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