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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. can — to be able to
  3. bass — low music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. staff — employees
  6. spring — the season
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. season — of the year
  11. staff — employees
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — in sport
  14. bulb — for light
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. can — a tin
  19. spring — of water
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bass — the fish
  23. branch — a division
  24. staff — a stick

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