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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 · row · spell · suit · spring · chest · leaves · toast

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. suit — clothes
  3. field — for sport
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. suit — to fit
  6. row — to paddle
  7. chest — of your body
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. spring — the season
  10. field — a subject
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — magic
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. field — farmland
  15. chest — of your body
  16. chest — a box
  17. suit — in cards
  18. row — a line
  19. spell — a short time
  20. spring — of water
  21. toast — bread
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spring — a coil
  24. leaves — of a tree

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