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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: field · club · mine · plane

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. mine — for digging
  5. club — a group
  6. field — for sport
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. club — for dancing
  9. plane — a tool
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. field — a subject
  12. plane — in geometry

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