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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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Word bank
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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: bowl · cell · staff · stand · race · fork

  1. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. race — a contest
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. stand — to bear
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fork — in a road
  14. race — humankind
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cell — in a prison

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