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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: wind · leaves · ground · rock · field · capital · stand · last

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. capital — money
  3. last — finally
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. rock — music
  6. field — farmland
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wind — moving air
  9. field — for sport
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. rock — a stone
  13. ground — a position
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. last — final
  18. capital — a city
  19. stand — to bear
  20. wind — moving air
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — to go on
  23. field — a subject
  24. ground — crushed

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