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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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468
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: rash · leaves · saw · fan · drill · sharp · racket · field

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. field — farmland
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. drill — the tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. saw — the tool
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — army training
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. field — a subject
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rash — hasty
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rash — a series
  21. saw — the tool
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fan — to cool the air

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