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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: stick · field · calf · squash · court · stem · bound · chair

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — obliged
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. court — for sport
  9. squash — the sport
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bound — certain
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chair — a leader
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of law
  19. bound — tied together
  20. court — of a king
  21. field — a subject
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. stem — to come from
  24. calf — a young animal

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