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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 116 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. band — a ring
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pitch — completely
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. craft — boats
  7. band — a music group
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. can — a tin
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. spring — the season
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. kid — child
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. craft — a skill
  17. spring — a coil
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. spring — of water
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kid — to tease

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