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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: stem · court · fork · field · craft · firm · coach · club

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. field — farmland
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. craft — boats
  6. club — for golf
  7. court — of a king
  8. stem — to come from
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. firm — steady
  12. fork — in a road
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. field — for sport
  17. club — for dancing
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — a skill
  20. field — a subject
  21. court — of law
  22. club — a group
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. stem — a stem cell

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