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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 116 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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. net — in sport
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. fork — in a road
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — for sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. net — after costs
  17. field — farmland
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. band — a ring
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. net — for catching
  23. kick — in football
  24. season — in 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