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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. capital — money
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — the amount
  6. spring — of water
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. roll — a list
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. roll — a cake
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stem — to come from
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. content — happy
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. capital — a city

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