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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cold — an illness
  4. fork — in a road
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wound — an injury
  8. craft — a skill
  9. march — the month
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. craft — boats
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cold — not warm

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