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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: plane · staff · wound · cell · suit · fork · field · spring

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cell — in biology
  3. cell — a phone
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. staff — employees
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. field — a subject
  10. spring — of water
  11. field — farmland
  12. staff — employees
  13. spring — the season
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. wound — an injury
  16. plane — a tool
  17. suit — to fit
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. suit — clothes
  20. field — for sport
  21. spring — a coil
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. staff — a stick
  24. wound — an injury

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