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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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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: leaves · field · fall · hide · cell · race

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. race — the arms race
  3. race — humankind
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. field — for sport
  7. fall — to drop
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — a subject
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. field — farmland
  15. fall — the season
  16. race — a contest
  17. cell — a phone
  18. leaves — lets stay

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