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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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. track — a song
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. hand — help
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bulb — for light
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a path
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bulb — for light
  18. hand — in cards
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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