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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: staff · mine · land · hand · field · lean · can · fan

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. land — a country
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. land — ground
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — for digging
  10. lean — to bend
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. land — to come down
  13. hand — help
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — to be able to
  16. staff — employees
  17. can — a tin
  18. staff — a stick
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lean — thin
  23. field — a subject
  24. staff — employees

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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