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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 120 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
468
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: leaves · field · spring · chip · plane · row · nail · cell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. spring — a coil
  4. spring — of water
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. spring — the season
  8. cell — a phone
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. cell — in biology
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. field — a subject
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chip — to eat
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. plane — a tool
  22. row — a line
  23. field — farmland
  24. chip — in a computer

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