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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: club · nail · fine · board · field · lean · saw · rock

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. board — to get on
  3. rock — a stone
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rock — music
  6. field — a subject
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. board — a committee
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. field — for sport
  12. saw — the tool
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fine — all right
  15. fine — high quality
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. lean — thin
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — for dancing
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. club — a group

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