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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.

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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
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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: plane · ground · chip · kid · field · mark · wound · leaves

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ground — the earth
  4. mark — a grade
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — to eat
  7. field — for sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. wound — an injury
  12. ground — a position
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ground — crushed
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. mark — a trace
  21. field — farmland
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. kid — child

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