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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. capital — a city
  4. field — farmland
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. capital — money
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. tear — to rip
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bank — of a river
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. field — for sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fork — in a road
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bank — for money
  23. field — a subject
  24. capital — a big letter

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