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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: wound · bass · fork · rock · pound · nail · race · temple

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. wound — an injury
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bass — the fish
  9. wound — an injury
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. pound — a weight
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rock — music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. bass — low music
  19. race — a contest
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rock — a stone
  22. fork — in a road
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bass — the instrument

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