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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: fork · bore · ground · pitch · lean · current · foot · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. pitch — completely
  3. lean — thin
  4. current — electric
  5. ground — crushed
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fork — in a road
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. field — a subject
  14. current — happening now
  15. foot — a measure
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. lean — to bend
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bore — to drill
  22. field — for sport
  23. current — of water
  24. ground — the earth

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