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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.

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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. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. clip — to cut
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. clip — a video
  8. spring — a coil
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. spring — of water
  11. clip — for paper
  12. net — in sport
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. craft — boats
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — for catching
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. stand — to bear
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mug — a face

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