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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 120 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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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: stand · snap · wind · mouse · fine · land · field · ruler

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fine — all right
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. field — a subject
  12. land — ground
  13. stand — to bear
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. wind — moving air
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — farmland
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. land — a country
  23. fine — high quality
  24. field — for sport

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