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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.

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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: race · fork · board · field · stem · land · mark · toast

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. board — a committee
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. fork — in a road
  6. race — humankind
  7. field — farmland
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. board — to get on
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mark — a grade
  12. field — a subject
  13. toast — bread
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. field — for sport
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. land — ground
  21. stem — to come from
  22. land — to come down
  23. race — the arms race
  24. land — a country

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