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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: field · game · can · plane · bear · bound · chest · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. bound — certain
  3. game — a match
  4. plane — a tool
  5. chest — of your body
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. bear — the animal
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — a tin
  10. bound — obliged
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. chest — of your body
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. bound — tied together
  18. can — to be able to
  19. field — a subject
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. game — wild animals

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