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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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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: bay · pass · field · nail · wound · perch · hand · pop

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. field — farmland
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pop — soda
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wound — an injury
  8. field — for sport
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. hand — help
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. pop — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. field — a subject
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wound — an injury
  19. hand — in cards
  20. perch — the fish
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. pass — to spend time

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