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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
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: file · hide · mouse · lean · field · club · racket · net

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. field — a subject
  4. lean — thin
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. net — for catching
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. net — after costs
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. club — a group
  15. file — a line of people
  16. club — for golf
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. field — for sport
  23. lean — to bend
  24. club — for dancing

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