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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: saw · nail · field · wound · court · jam · lash · chest

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. wound — an injury
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. court — of a king
  5. saw — the tool
  6. field — farmland
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. field — a subject
  9. field — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. chest — of your body
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — for sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. wound — an injury

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