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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. shower — rain
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. stand — to bear
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. fork — in a road
  12. spring — of water
  13. craft — boats
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. shower — to wash
  17. spring — a coil
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pit — in a race
  24. spring — the season

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