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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fork — in a road
  6. sharp — clever
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — music
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. bark — to shout
  24. fan — a supporter

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