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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.

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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 · fine · bear · saw · lie · staff · last · cap

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fine — high quality
  3. last — final
  4. staff — a stick
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bear — the animal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cap — a hat
  10. field — farmland
  11. fine — all right
  12. last — to go on
  13. field — a subject
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. bear — the animal
  16. last — finally
  17. saw — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. cap — of ice
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. cap — a lid
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. staff — employees

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