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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 116 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
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. key — in music
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. field — for sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. fork — in a road
  13. hand — help
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. key — for a lock
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. pass — a permit
  21. wound — an injury
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. key — the most important part
  24. wound — an injury

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