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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: suit · wake · bear · lean · leaves · land · file · field

  1. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. file — a tool
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. field — for sport
  6. lean — to bend
  7. suit — to fit
  8. land — to come down
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. land — a country
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. file — a document
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. land — ground
  17. bear — the animal
  18. suit — clothes
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lean — thin
  21. suit — in cards
  22. field — a subject
  23. bear — the animal
  24. file — a line of people

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