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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: leaves · cue · ruler · spring · row · fork · field · cell

  1. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. spring — a coil
  3. cue — a hint
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. field — for sport
  6. fork — in a road
  7. spring — of water
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. field — a subject
  10. row — to paddle
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cue — a signal
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. cell — in biology
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. row — a line
  17. spring — the season
  18. cue — for pool
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. field — farmland
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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