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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 116 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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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: wind · bank · ground · fork · cap · saw · leaves · field

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. field — for sport
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bank — for money
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — in a road
  9. cap — a lid
  10. field — a subject
  11. wind — moving air
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bank — for money
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — the tool
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bank — of a river
  24. wind — to turn a key

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