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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: pit · spring · branch · field · roll · content · saw · nail

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. roll — a list
  3. saw — the tool
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. content — happy
  6. pit — a hole
  7. field — for sport
  8. spring — of water
  9. pit — in a race
  10. spring — a coil
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. content — the amount
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. field — a subject
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. branch — a division
  18. spring — the season
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. roll — a cake
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. field — farmland

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