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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: net · saw · ruler · field · cap · lean · fan · land

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to bend
  5. saw — the tool
  6. land — a country
  7. cap — a lid
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. net — in sport
  10. saw — the tool
  11. lean — thin
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. field — for sport
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — ground
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. land — to come down
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. field — farmland
  24. net — after costs

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