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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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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: wake · toast · field · bear · pitch · leaves · wind · stand

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. wind — moving air
  3. field — a subject
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. field — farmland
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bear — the animal
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. toast — bread
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. field — for sport
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. wind — to turn a key

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