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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: fall · spell · roll · net · field · mug · fine · lean

  1. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. net — for catching
  3. roll — a list
  4. fine — high quality
  5. mug — to rob
  6. field — a subject
  7. fall — to drop
  8. mug — a face
  9. spell — magic
  10. fall — the season
  11. field — for sport
  12. field — farmland
  13. net — after costs
  14. fine — all right
  15. roll — a cake
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. lean — thin
  18. net — in sport
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. spell — a short time
  22. mug — a cup
  23. lean — to bend
  24. fall — to drop

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