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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: fork · field · mug · bass · face · stem · rush · band

  1. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — of a plant
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. face — to point toward
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — farmland
  13. band — a music group
  14. mug — a cup
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. mug — a face
  17. mug — to rob
  18. stem — to come from
  19. face — to confront
  20. fork — in a road
  21. bass — low music
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. field — for sport
  24. face — part of the head

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