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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. lean — thin
  3. field — farmland
  4. band — a ring
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — in a road
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. field — a subject
  12. last — final
  13. lean — to bend
  14. rock — music
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. last — to go on
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. last — finally
  20. field — for sport
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. band — a music group
  23. stem — to come from
  24. racket — for tennis

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