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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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. fine — a penalty
  4. fine — all right
  5. bass — low music
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. spell — magic
  8. craft — boats
  9. band — a ring
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. spell — letters
  12. fork — in a road
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. spell — a short time
  15. craft — a skill
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bass — the fish

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