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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 · shower · chip · present · ball · field · tear · fan

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. present — there
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. chip — for betting
  7. ball — a dance
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tear — from crying
  11. field — farmland
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. chip — to eat
  17. shower — rain
  18. tear — to rip
  19. field — a subject
  20. present — the time now
  21. tear — from crying
  22. present — a gift
  23. shower — to wash
  24. fork — to eat with

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