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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. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. wind — moving air
  7. fork — in a road
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. craft — boats
  10. wound — an injury
  11. chip — to eat
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. craft — a skill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. chip — for betting
  19. date — the fruit
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. wound — an injury
  24. wind — to turn a key

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