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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: club · land · cabinet · fan · field · rock · saw · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  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. season — of the year
  2. field — for sport
  3. saw — the tool
  4. field — a subject
  5. rock — music
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. land — to come down
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. season — in sport
  13. club — for golf
  14. land — ground
  15. field — farmland
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. land — a country
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. club — a group
  23. season — to add flavour
  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