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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: staff · net · mouse · field · saw · toast · pop · leaves

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. field — for sport
  11. saw — the tool
  12. staff — employees
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. net — for catching
  15. saw — the tool
  16. net — in sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. staff — a stick
  20. net — after costs
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. toast — 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