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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. hand — in cards
  4. track — to keep track
  5. degree — an amount
  6. prune — to trim
  7. land — to come down
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. hand — help
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. prune — to trim
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. degree — temperature
  16. degree — from a university
  17. track — a song
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. track — a path
  21. land — ground
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. land — a country
  24. hide — animal skin

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