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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. band — a ring
  3. present — there
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stand — to bear
  6. band — a music group
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. present — a gift
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wound — an injury
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. spell — magic
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — a short time
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. perch — for a bird

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