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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · leaves · squash · pit · field · ruler · plane · last

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. squash — the sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. land — to come down
  6. plane — a tool
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pit — a hole
  10. field — a subject
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. last — finally
  13. land — ground
  14. last — final
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — in a race
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. last — to go on
  22. land — a country
  23. plane — in geometry
  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