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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 120 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 · cap · pound · saw · club · field · lie · ruler

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. cap — a lid
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. club — for dancing
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. club — a group
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. saw — the tool
  10. club — for golf
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. field — farmland
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. fork — in a road
  17. field — a subject
  18. lie — to recline
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. field — for sport
  24. pound — a weight

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