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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: saw · ground · stand · plane · racket · hide · bore · field

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. field — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — farmland
  7. plane — a tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. field — a subject
  10. stand — to bear
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bore — to tire
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. saw — the tool
  20. ground — the earth
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. ground — crushed
  23. bore — to drill
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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