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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: band · temple · fork · nail · wound · saw · pitcher · foot

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. band — a music group
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. wound — an injury
  12. fork — in a road
  13. band — a ring
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. foot — a measure
  19. saw — the tool
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. wound — an injury
  24. nail — for a hammer

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