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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: lean · fork · field · bear · cell · key · cabinet · game

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. lean — to bend
  3. key — in music
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. game — a match
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cell — a phone
  13. field — farmland
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. lean — thin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. cell — in biology
  18. key — for a lock
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. game — wild animals

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