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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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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 · stand · pound · chip · ground · field · lash · cell

  1. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. stand — to bear
  3. field — for sport
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. ground — the earth
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. ground — a position
  8. chip — for betting
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. chip — to eat
  23. pound — a weight
  24. cell — in biology

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