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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: rule · pound · field · spell · leaves · lean · fork · net

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. field — a subject
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rule — a law
  6. pound — a weight
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. field — farmland
  9. net — for catching
  10. spell — letters
  11. lean — thin
  12. fork — in a road
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lean — to bend
  18. field — for sport
  19. net — in sport
  20. spell — a short time
  21. net — after costs
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. rule — government
  24. leaves — lets stay

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