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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. rest — what's left
  5. file — a line of people
  6. fork — in a road
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. prune — to trim
  10. degree — from a university
  11. file — a tool
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. rest — a break
  15. club — a group
  16. file — a document
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. prune — to trim
  20. degree — an amount
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. club — for golf
  23. degree — temperature
  24. rest — what's left

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