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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: toast · field · saw · bank · fan · sharp · wake · game

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. game — wild animals
  3. field — for sport
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. toast — bread
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — a subject
  14. bank — for money
  15. sharp — clever
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. bank — for money
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bank — of a river
  24. game — a match

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