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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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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: net · fan · rush · bear · lean · field · ground · deal

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. net — after costs
  3. bear — the animal
  4. deal — to handle
  5. net — for catching
  6. rush — hurry
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. field — farmland
  10. lean — to bend
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. net — in sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. field — for sport
  16. ground — a position
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. bear — the animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. lean — thin
  22. ground — the earth
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bear — to put up with

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