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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: land · fork · hand · racket · field · track · wave · saw

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. field — a subject
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. field — farmland
  7. land — ground
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. fork — in a road
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a song
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — help
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. land — a country
  19. land — to come down
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. field — for sport
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. track — a path
  24. saw — the tool

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