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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ground — crushed
  4. board — a committee
  5. clip — for paper
  6. prune — to trim
  7. suit — in cards
  8. ground — a position
  9. tear — from crying
  10. clip — a video
  11. suit — clothes
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. suit — to fit
  16. prune — to trim
  17. board — to get on
  18. ground — the earth
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. clip — to cut
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. tube — a container

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