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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: foot · field · stand · wound · row · bore · fork · last

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. field — for sport
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. wound — an injury
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. wound — an injury
  7. bore — to tire
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. field — farmland
  13. stand — to bear
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — to paddle
  16. last — finally
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — final
  21. row — a line
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. fork — in a road
  24. row — a quarrel

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