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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.

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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: land · game · saw · race · field · leaves · staff · calf

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. field — a subject
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. land — a country
  5. game — wild animals
  6. race — humankind
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. race — the arms race
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. saw — the tool
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. staff — employees
  16. land — ground
  17. race — a contest
  18. staff — employees
  19. game — a match
  20. staff — a stick
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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