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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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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: lie · row · pit · content · stem · field · race · fork

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. race — the arms race
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. pit — a hole
  6. fork — in a road
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. race — humankind
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. content — happy
  12. row — to paddle
  13. race — a contest
  14. pit — in a race
  15. lie — to recline
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. row — a line
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. field — a subject
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. field — for sport
  23. stem — to come from
  24. lie — an untruth

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