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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. field — for sport
  8. chip — for betting
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. foot — a measure
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. craft — a skill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. field — a subject
  24. leaves — to go away

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