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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. fork — in a road
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. date — the fruit
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. stem — to come from
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. lie — to recline
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. track — a song
  12. cold — not warm
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. track — a path
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. track — to keep track
  19. cold — an illness
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. stem — a stem cell

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