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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. march — the month
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. toast — bread
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. march — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. stem — to come from
  13. march — the month
  14. plane — a tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. spell — a short time
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. fork — in a road
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — magic

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