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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: cell · fork · object · race · field · wake

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. race — humankind
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. race — the arms race
  6. field — a subject
  7. race — a contest
  8. field — farmland
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cell — in biology
  11. object — an aim
  12. field — for sport
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. object — to protest
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. wake — a trail

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