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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: bear · mouse · cap · fine · row · mine · hand · field

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. mouse — for a computer
  2. hand — help
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. cap — of ice
  5. field — farmland
  6. cap — a lid
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. row — to paddle
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. field — a subject
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bear — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mine — for digging
  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