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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: leaves · straw · march · plane · bear · fork · field · content

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. field — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. march — the month
  6. content — the amount
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. march — the month
  9. bear — the animal
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. plane — a tool
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. march — music
  14. field — farmland
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. content — happy
  18. field — a subject
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — in a road

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