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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. prune — to trim
  6. fork — in a road
  7. band — a music group
  8. bound — obliged
  9. kid — child
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bound — certain
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bulb — for light
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. content — happy
  18. band — a ring
  19. dip — to sink
  20. kid — to tease
  21. content — the amount
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bound — tied together
  24. dip — to dunk

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