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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: field · toast · stand · bank · land · snap · game · bore

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. field — for sport
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — a subject
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. bore — to drill
  10. land — a country
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — to bear
  15. bank — for money
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. land — to come down
  18. bank — for money
  19. bank — of a river
  20. toast — bread
  21. snap — to click
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. stand — for spectators
  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