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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: object · jam · field · leaves · file · fan · fork · spring

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. field — for sport
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. field — a subject
  5. spring — the season
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a tool
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. object — an aim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fork — in a road
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. object — a thing
  24. file — a line of people

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