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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: fan · lie · mouse · ground · roll · field · stick · mine

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — for sport
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. roll — a list
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. field — a subject
  13. ground — the earth
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. field — farmland
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. lie — to recline
  24. mouse — the animal

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