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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: nail · wound · spell · field · calf · fine · branch · rush

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. spell — letters
  3. field — farmland
  4. spell — a short time
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spell — magic
  9. rush — hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fine — all right
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. branch — a division
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wound — an injury
  16. field — for sport
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. field — a subject
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. fine — high quality
  24. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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