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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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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 · clip · field · ruler · land · pit · jam · spring

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. land — to come down
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. spring — a coil
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — a subject
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. pit — a hole
  14. field — farmland
  15. clip — a video
  16. land — ground
  17. clip — to cut
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. land — a country
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. field — for sport

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