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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: kick · field · fork · lash · pop · wound · stem · board

  1. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. stem — a stem cell
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. kick — in football
  6. field — farmland
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stem — to come from
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. board — to get on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. field — for sport
  19. board — a committee
  20. field — a subject
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. fork — in a road

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