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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fall — to drop
  3. lean — to bend
  4. land — to come down
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. tube — the underground
  8. field — farmland
  9. field — for sport
  10. hand — help
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. tube — a container
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fall — the season
  15. land — a country
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. field — a subject
  18. land — ground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. lean — thin
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fall — to drop
  24. bowl — a football final

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