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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. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. wake — a trail
  5. drill — a practice
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. press — newspapers
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. mine — for digging
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. drill — the tool
  12. perch — the fish
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. clip — to cut
  16. spell — magic
  17. spell — letters
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. clip — for paper
  21. press — to push
  22. clip — a video
  23. drill — army training
  24. press — a publisher

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