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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: dip · nail · pitcher · foot · clip · field · bear · fork

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. dip — to sink
  4. bear — the animal
  5. bear — the animal
  6. clip — to cut
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. fork — in a road
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. field — for sport
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — for paper
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. clip — a video
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. foot — a measure
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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