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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: pop · field · ground · branch · firm · craft · clip · nail

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — crushed
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. clip — a video
  6. pop — to visit
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. pop — soda
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. ground — a position
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. craft — a skill
  14. branch — a division
  15. pop — music
  16. craft — boats
  17. firm — decided
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. clip — for paper
  24. clip — to cut

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