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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: mine · field · rest · leaves · saw · arm · season · ball

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. saw — the tool
  4. season — of the year
  5. field — for sport
  6. rest — a break
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. season — in sport
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. rest — what's left
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. ball — a great time
  20. ball — a dance
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. rest — what's left
  24. leaves — of a tree

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