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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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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. field — for sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. land — ground
  5. land — to come down
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. net — after costs
  8. field — farmland
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — the tool
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bank — for money
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — of a river
  17. cap — of ice
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. field — a subject
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. land — a country
  23. cap — a lid
  24. cap — a hat

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