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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fork — in a road
  5. rest — what's left
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. rest — what's left
  11. field — a subject
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. spring — the season
  14. chair — a leader
  15. craft — a skill
  16. spring — a coil
  17. spring — of water
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. field — farmland
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. rest — a break

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