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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: mine · field · fork · rock · fine · wave · leaves · stick

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. field — a subject
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. fine — high quality
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rock — a stone
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. field — farmland
  20. fork — in a road
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fine — all right

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