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

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spring — of water
  3. cap — a lid
  4. pound — a weight
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bound — obliged
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. field — for sport
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bound — tied together
  16. bound — certain
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spring — the season
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cap — a hat
  22. field — farmland
  23. cap — of ice
  24. field — a subject

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