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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.

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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. field — a subject
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. ball — a dance
  7. spell — magic
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pound — a weight
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bank — of a river
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. spell — a short time
  17. bank — for money
  18. ball — a great time
  19. field — farmland
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — letters
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. field — for sport

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