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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: dip · field · fan · mouse · lean · board · mate · ground

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. ground — a position
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mate — a friend
  5. board — to get on
  6. field — farmland
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mate — to breed
  9. ground — crushed
  10. field — a subject
  11. ground — the earth
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. mate — a partner
  15. board — a committee
  16. dip — to sink
  17. lean — thin
  18. field — for sport
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. board — a flat piece

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