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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: pound · hand · suit · drill · field · can · spring · nail

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. field — a subject
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — of water
  7. suit — in cards
  8. field — for sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. hand — in cards
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. pound — a weight
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — a coil
  15. hand — help
  16. drill — army training
  17. suit — clothes
  18. suit — to fit
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. can — a tin
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. can — to be able to

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