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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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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: leaves · field · fall · lash · ground · race · mate · plane

  1. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. field — farmland
  3. ground — a position
  4. race — the arms race
  5. mate — a partner
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ground — the earth
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. fall — the season
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fall — to drop
  15. field — a subject
  16. plane — a tool
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. race — humankind
  20. ground — crushed
  21. field — for sport
  22. fall — to drop
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. race — a contest

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