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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. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bulb — for light
  6. bulb — for light
  7. track — a song
  8. fork — in a road
  9. ground — crushed
  10. ground — a position
  11. cell — a phone
  12. track — a path
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pop — to visit
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. stem — to come from
  20. pop — soda
  21. track — to keep track
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pop — music

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