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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: last · lean · hide · band · ground · suit · field · jam

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. suit — in cards
  3. band — a music group
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. band — a ring
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. field — farmland
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — the earth
  11. lean — to bend
  12. ground — crushed
  13. field — for sport
  14. suit — to fit
  15. field — a subject
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lean — thin
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. suit — clothes
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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