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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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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. fork — in a road
  5. current — happening now
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — from crying
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. chair — a leader
  10. prune — to trim
  11. current — of water
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. tear — to rip
  15. current — electric
  16. prune — to trim
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger

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