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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: wound · fork · game · sharp · rest · foot · pitcher · stem

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wound — an injury
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — what's left
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stem — to come from
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. rest — what's left
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. rest — a break
  22. game — a match
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — clever

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