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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: spell · fork · stem · tear · wound · saw · field · wake

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. spell — letters
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. field — farmland
  9. wake — a trail
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. spell — a short time
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — to rip
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — for sport
  22. tear — from crying
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. field — a subject

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