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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: field · mug · fork · net · stem · lean · chest · fan

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. lean — to bend
  3. net — for catching
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. mug — to rob
  6. chest — of your body
  7. lean — thin
  8. chest — a box
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. stem — to come from
  11. chest — of your body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. net — after costs
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — a subject
  18. net — in sport
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. field — farmland

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