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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: stick · fork · cell · march · swing · field

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fork — in a road
  3. cell — in biology
  4. march — music
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. swing — to play on
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. swing — in golf
  13. cell — a phone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — a subject
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. march — the month
  18. swing — music

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