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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.

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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: pound · content · stick · nail · field · mine · foot · fork

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. foot — a measure
  4. mine — for digging
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — happy
  7. field — farmland
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. field — for sport
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. field — a subject
  16. pound — a weight
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mine — belonging to me

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