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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: deal · field · spring · land · mate · lean · file · coach

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. field — a subject
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. spring — a coil
  5. lean — to bend
  6. land — a country
  7. file — a tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. spring — of water
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. lean — thin
  12. file — a document
  13. field — for sport
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. spring — the season
  19. field — farmland
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. land — to come down
  22. land — ground
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. mate — a friend

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