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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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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: field · calf · arm · game · coach · land · wake · ground

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. game — a match
  7. game — wild animals
  8. land — a country
  9. ground — crushed
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — a subject
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wake — a trail
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. land — ground
  24. ground — a position

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