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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  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. nail — for a hammer
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. field — a subject
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. field — farmland
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. prune — to trim
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. field — for sport
  19. race — a contest
  20. lie — to recline
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. deal — to handle
  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