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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: field · leaves · bound · fork · rest · chest · spell · staff

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. spell — letters
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. staff — a stick
  9. field — a subject
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. staff — employees
  12. chest — a box
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rest — a break
  16. bound — tied together
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bound — obliged
  19. rest — what's left
  20. spell — magic
  21. staff — employees
  22. field — farmland
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. field — for sport

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