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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: toast · fork · field · land · prune · calf · wound · club

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wound — an injury
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. land — a country
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. fork — in a road
  15. land — ground
  16. prune — to trim
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. land — to come down
  23. toast — bread
  24. club — for golf

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