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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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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: racket · field · bear · band · fork · file · saw · arm

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bear — the animal
  3. band — a ring
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a tool
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. file — a document
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fork — in a road
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bear — the animal
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. band — a music group
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — farmland
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — for sport

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