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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 124 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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. rest — what's left
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. cell — in biology
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. rest — what's left
  7. march — the month
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. spring — the season
  10. march — music
  11. plane — a tool
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rest — a break
  16. cell — a phone
  17. prune — to trim
  18. spring — a coil
  19. fork — in a road
  20. march — the month
  21. current — of water
  22. current — happening now
  23. spring — of water
  24. current — electric

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