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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. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. fork — in a road
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. field — a subject
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. chip — for betting
  10. field — farmland
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. field — for sport
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. band — a ring
  20. chip — to eat
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. wake — a trail
  24. racket — a loud noise

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