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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. fork — in a road
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. field — a subject
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. field — for sport
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — to sink
  13. pound — a weight
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — farmland
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. craft — a skill
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. dip — a sauce

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