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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. prune — to trim
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. fork — in a road
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. prune — to trim
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. charge — in control
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. spell — magic
  20. wind — moving air
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. spell — letters
  23. spell — a short time
  24. fan — a supporter

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