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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spring — a coil
  3. current — happening now
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. craft — boats
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. craft — a skill
  10. bass — the fish
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chip — to eat
  15. spring — the season
  16. spring — of water
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. bass — low music
  24. bark — to shout

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