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

Word bank: fork · bear · kid · plane · nail · swing · wind · field

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fork — in a road
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wind — moving air
  6. field — for sport
  7. kid — child
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. swing — music
  11. field — a subject
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bear — the animal
  15. plane — a tool
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. field — farmland
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. kid — to tease
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. bear — the animal
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. swing — in golf

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