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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 120 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. file — a line of people
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — a trail
  7. file — a tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. fork — in a road
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. root — of a plant
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — for digging
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. root — the cause
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. root — of a word
  24. kick — a thrill

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