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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 120 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: ruler · straw · hand · cap · field · mouse · fork · pound

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. pound — a weight
  7. field — a subject
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. field — for sport
  13. cap — a hat
  14. hand — help
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. cap — a lid
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. field — farmland
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. cap — of ice
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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