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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 120 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: saw · field · bowl · leaves · prune · fan · game · dip

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. field — for sport
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. dip — to sink
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. saw — the tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. dip — a sauce

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