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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.

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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: staff · mark · rule · net · field · mine · leaves · cabinet

  1. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mark — a grade
  5. net — in sport
  6. mark — a trace
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. staff — employees
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mine — for digging
  12. net — for catching
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. field — for sport
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. net — after costs
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. staff — a stick
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. rule — government
  23. staff — employees
  24. mine — belonging to me

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