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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 broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. hand — help
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. spell — magic
  7. foot — a measure
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. spell — letters
  15. spring — of water
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. spring — the season
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. hand — in cards

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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