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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. lean — thin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. lean — to bend
  8. row — a line
  9. ground — a position
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. bank — for money
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ground — the earth
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — a phone
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. wound — an injury
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bank — for money
  23. row — to paddle
  24. fork — in a road

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