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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · can · mine · last · rash · leaves · snap · fork

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. field — a subject
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. fork — in a road
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. rash — hasty
  8. rash — a series
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. snap — to click
  14. can — a tin
  15. last — to go on
  16. field — for sport
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. field — farmland
  20. can — a tin
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. last — finally
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — belonging to me

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