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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: fork · field · arm · ruler · game · lash · calf · saw

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. saw — the tool
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. game — a match
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. field — farmland
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. game — wild animals

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