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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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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: object · fork · field · wound · fall · ruler · stand · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. fork — in a road
  5. march — the month
  6. object — to protest
  7. stand — to bear
  8. fall — to drop
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. field — a subject
  12. fall — the season
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. object — a thing
  19. march — music
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. object — an aim
  22. wound — an injury
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — farmland

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