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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.

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: saw · field · present · wake · bear · fan · court · bat

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bat — the animal
  3. wake — a trail
  4. present — there
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. present — the time now
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. court — for sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. field — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. field — a subject
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. saw — the tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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