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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. shower — rain
  3. shower — to wash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. track — a path
  7. field — for sport
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. field — farmland
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rock — a stone
  16. track — a song
  17. rock — music
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. field — a subject
  21. pitch — completely
  22. fork — in a road
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. branch — a division

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