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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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Word bank
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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: row · nail · stem · lash · board · sharp · court · field

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — of law
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. field — for sport
  5. row — to paddle
  6. sharp — clever
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. row — a line
  11. field — a subject
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. field — farmland
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. stem — to come from
  17. court — of a king
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. board — a committee
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. board — to get on
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. court — 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