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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — clever
  5. band — a ring
  6. rash — a series
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. kid — child
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. rash — hasty
  11. spring — the season
  12. spring — of water
  13. squash — to crush
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — to tease
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. squash — the sport
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. band — a music group

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