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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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 rubber band
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fork — in a road
  5. track — a path
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. march — the month
  9. craft — a skill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bear — the animal
  15. march — music
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — a song
  19. track — to keep track
  20. band — a ring
  21. band — a music group
  22. march — the month
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. craft — boats

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