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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: spring · field · row · fork · saw · vault · bowl · bass

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. fork — in a road
  3. row — to paddle
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bass — the fish
  6. saw — the tool
  7. field — a subject
  8. saw — the tool
  9. field — farmland
  10. row — a line
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spring — the season
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. spring — of water
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bass — low music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. spring — a coil
  23. field — for sport
  24. fork — to eat with

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