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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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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 · fall · firm · suit · stick · saw · cap · straw

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. cap — of ice
  3. firm — a company
  4. suit — clothes
  5. suit — in cards
  6. saw — the tool
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. fall — to drop
  14. firm — decided
  15. field — for sport
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cap — a hat
  19. field — a subject
  20. suit — to fit
  21. firm — steady
  22. saw — the tool
  23. fall — the season
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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