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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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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: fork · cell · foot · fine · field · press · stem · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stem — to come from
  3. press — to push
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bound — certain
  8. cell — a phone
  9. field — farmland
  10. press — newspapers
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. field — for sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. press — a publisher
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fine — high quality
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. field — a subject
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. foot — a measure
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cell — in biology

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