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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. band — a music group
  4. land — ground
  5. mate — to breed
  6. dip — to sink
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. mark — a grade
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mate — a partner
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. fork — in a road
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. band — a ring
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mark — a trace
  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