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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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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: bass · fine · fork · arm · straw · fan · field · bound

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. field — for sport
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fine — high quality
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. bound — obliged
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bound — certain
  11. field — a subject
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. straw — dry grass

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