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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. rock — to move gently
  3. march — music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. spring — the season
  6. march — the month
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. chip — to eat
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — a coil
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — a division
  13. spring — of water
  14. rock — a stone
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rock — music
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chip — for betting
  20. fork — in a road
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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