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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 116 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: cold · bowl · field · perch · stem · coach · fork · object

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. cold — not warm
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stem — to come from
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. field — for sport
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. object — to protest
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. perch — the fish
  16. object — an aim
  17. cold — an illness
  18. field — farmland
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fork — in a road
  21. object — a thing
  22. field — a subject
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. coach — a trainer

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