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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: fan · field · roll · fork · cabinet · arm · toast · lean

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. roll — a list
  8. field — for sport
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. field — farmland
  13. fork — in a road
  14. roll — a cake
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. lean — thin
  17. field — a subject
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. toast — bread
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. lean — to bend
  24. roll — on a roll

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