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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bore · wind · mug · field · fan · mate · chair · plane

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  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. field — for sport
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. mate — a friend
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. field — farmland
  6. mug — a cup
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wind — moving air
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. wind — moving air
  19. chair — a leader
  20. plane — a tool
  21. mug — to rob
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — a face
  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