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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 · wake · bowl · field · calf · pound · bass · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. field — farmland
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. field — a subject
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pound — a weight
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. field — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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