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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. stem — to come from
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — a thing
  6. fork — in a road
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. wound — an injury
  10. clip — for paper
  11. clip — to cut
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. object — an aim
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. field — a subject
  20. ball — a great time
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — clothes
  23. suit — in cards
  24. wound — an injury

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