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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. tear — from crying
  4. file — a tool
  5. swing — music
  6. fork — in a road
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pit — in a race
  10. tube — the underground
  11. plane — a tool
  12. pit — a hole
  13. tear — from crying
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. file — a line of people
  17. swing — in golf
  18. file — a document
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. swing — to play on
  21. tear — to rip
  22. tube — a container
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. tube — in a tire

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