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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 120 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: fine · object · mouse · field · fork · spring · rest · racket

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. object — to protest
  3. spring — the season
  4. rest — what's left
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fine — all right
  7. rest — a break
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. object — a thing
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spring — of water
  18. object — an aim
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. fine — high quality
  24. racket — for tennis

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