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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: arm · date · content · field · can · fork · land · wave

  1. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. can — to be able to
  3. field — farmland
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. land — to come down
  6. can — a tin
  7. fork — in a road
  8. date — the fruit
  9. land — ground
  10. can — a tin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. field — for sport
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — the amount
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. land — a country
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. content — happy

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