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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. prune — to trim
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. chip — for betting
  5. prune — to trim
  6. mug — a cup
  7. chip — to eat
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. face — to point toward
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fork — in a road
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. mug — a face

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