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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: lean · field · saw · present · cap · bat · season · safe

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. field — farmland
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — of the year
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. present — a gift
  11. season — in sport
  12. field — for sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. present — the time now
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. cap — a hat
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. present — there
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bat — the animal
  24. field — a subject

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