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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 · ground · rest · mine · cabinet · roll · staff · foot

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. field — for sport
  3. roll — a list
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. roll — a cake
  7. ground — a position
  8. staff — employees
  9. rest — a break
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. field — farmland
  13. staff — a stick
  14. rest — what's left
  15. mine — for digging
  16. staff — employees
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rest — what's left
  20. field — a subject
  21. ground — crushed
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. foot — the bottom

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