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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: bay · shower · stand · object · nail · saw · field · bound

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bound — obliged
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. object — to protest
  9. bound — certain
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. saw — the tool
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. stand — to bear
  15. object — a thing
  16. object — an aim
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. shower — rain
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. stand — for spectators

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