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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.

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: cabinet · field · racket · dip · rock · land · fall · wound

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. rock — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. dip — to sink
  6. fall — to drop
  7. field — farmland
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. wound — an injury
  10. land — a country
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. fall — the season
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. land — ground
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — to come down
  24. rock — a stone

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