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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. foot — a measure
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bass — low music
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bear — the animal
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — money
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bass — the fish

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