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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 120 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. fork — in a road
  8. present — a gift
  9. bound — tied together
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bound — obliged
  14. bound — certain
  15. scale — in music
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. kid — to tease
  18. present — there
  19. present — the time now
  20. scale — size or range
  21. prune — to trim
  22. kid — child
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fork — to eat with

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