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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 120 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 · foot · object · ball · branch · cell · field · sharp

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. object — to protest
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. object — an aim
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. branch — a division
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. object — a thing
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cell — a phone
  14. ball — a great time
  15. field — a subject
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cell — in biology
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. foot — a measure
  24. field — farmland

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