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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kid — child
  4. current — of water
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. current — electric
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — hurry
  13. fork — in a road
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. current — happening now
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. squash — to crush
  24. hide — animal skin

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