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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — to come down
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. net — for catching
  7. net — after costs
  8. tear — from crying
  9. land — ground
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tear — from crying
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. land — a country
  19. cap — a hat
  20. cap — of ice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. tear — to rip
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. net — in sport

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