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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bear — the animal
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. fork — in a road
  5. present — a gift
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. season — in sport
  9. present — there
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. saw — the tool
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — of the year
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. present — the time now
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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