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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. current — happening now
  3. saw — the tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. saw — the tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. pop — to visit
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. current — of water
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pop — soda
  17. pop — music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fork — in a road
  21. band — a ring
  22. current — electric
  23. band — a music group
  24. branch — a division

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