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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: field · saw · wound · fork · plane · safe · content · last

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. last — to go on
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. last — finally
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. wound — an injury
  12. field — a subject
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. fork — in a road
  15. plane — a tool
  16. saw — the tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. wound — an injury
  19. last — final
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. saw — the tool
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fork — a garden 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