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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · tear · calf · field · present · arm

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. field — farmland
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. present — there
  10. tear — to rip
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — a subject
  13. tear — from crying
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. present — a gift
  16. present — the time now
  17. fork — in a road
  18. field — for sport

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