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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: jam · stock · field · foot · pitcher · wound · fork · fan

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — goods
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — farmland
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — shares
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — in a road
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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