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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 116 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: hide · bowl · plane · calf · kid · fork · stem · field

  1. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — to come from
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. plane — a tool
  4. kid — to tease
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — farmland
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. fork — in a road
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. field — for sport
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. kid — child
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. bowl — to roll

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