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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 120 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: field · game · land · hide · mate · saw · can · wave

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. can — a tin
  4. land — a country
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. mate — a partner
  11. field — a subject
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. mate — a friend
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. saw — the tool
  16. land — ground
  17. mate — to breed
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — for sport
  20. game — a match
  21. land — to come down
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — to be able to
  24. game — a kind of play

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