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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: fan · mouse · wound · firm · rock · field · game · lie

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rock — a stone
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. firm — decided
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wound — an injury
  10. firm — a company
  11. field — for sport
  12. rock — music
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. field — a subject
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. lie — to recline
  21. field — farmland
  22. firm — steady
  23. game — a match
  24. lie — an untruth

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