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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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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 · stem · field · deal · rash · rule · rock · court

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. court — of law
  4. rock — music
  5. fork — in a road
  6. court — for sport
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. deal — to handle
  9. field — farmland
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. court — of a king
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. field — for sport
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rock — a stone
  20. stem — to come from
  21. field — a subject
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rule — a law
  24. deal — a big deal

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