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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 120 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 big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. stem — to come from
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. board — a committee
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. board — to get on
  9. field — a subject
  10. wind — moving air
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. field — for sport
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pit — a hole
  22. ball — a great time
  23. ball — a dance
  24. ball — a round shape

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