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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 · track · field · kid · fork · safe · mine · stem

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. kid — to tease
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. field — for sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — farmland
  8. track — a song
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. track — to keep track
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. kid — child
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. track — a path
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stem — to come from
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. lean — thin
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. safe — out of danger

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