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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for dancing
  4. rash — a series
  5. suit — in cards
  6. club — for golf
  7. bank — for money
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. bank — for money
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. suit — to fit
  15. bank — of a river
  16. fork — in a road
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — of the year
  20. suit — clothes
  21. mine — for digging
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. rash — hasty
  24. club — a 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