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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 120 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: fall · fork · field · file · squash · dip · leaves · row

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. field — a subject
  3. row — a line
  4. file — a line of people
  5. field — farmland
  6. row — to paddle
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. field — for sport
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. file — a tool
  17. dip — to sink
  18. fall — to drop
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. squash — the sport
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — in a road
  24. squash — to crush

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