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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.

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: leaves · drill · deal · field · race · content · wake · fan

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — a trail
  9. race — humankind
  10. drill — a practice
  11. race — a contest
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. content — the amount
  18. drill — the tool
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — to handle
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. race — the arms race
  24. field — a subject

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