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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
468
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: nail · date · fork · stick · bound · craft · sharp · field

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. field — farmland
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bound — obliged
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. date — the fruit
  9. bound — certain
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. craft — a skill
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. field — a subject
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. sharp — clever
  16. fork — in a road
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bound — tied together
  19. field — for sport
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. craft — boats
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. sharp — with an edge

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