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

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. field — for sport
  3. wound — an injury
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — crushed
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. pop — music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pop — to visit
  14. ground — the earth
  15. field — a subject
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bank — for money
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. bank — of a river
  21. field — farmland
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bank — for money
  24. hand — help

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