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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ground — crushed
  3. spell — magic
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. tube — a container
  7. spell — letters
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stem — to come from
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. ground — the earth
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pit — in a race
  17. fork — in a road
  18. ground — a position
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. pit — a hole
  21. dip — to sink
  22. tube — the underground
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. tube — in a tire

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