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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. can — to be able to
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. can — a tin
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. track — a song
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. track — a path
  14. branch — a division
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — in a road
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. can — a tin

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