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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. fork — in a road
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. drill — the tool
  8. rash — hasty
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bank — for money
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — a practice
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rash — a series
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bank — for money
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. cold — an illness
  24. sharp — clever

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