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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. club — a group
  3. lean — to bend
  4. degree — from a university
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. perch — the fish
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. club — for dancing
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fork — in a road
  18. cue — a signal
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. degree — an amount
  22. club — for golf
  23. cue — for pool
  24. degree — temperature

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