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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. staff — employees
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mug — a face
  8. spell — a short time
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — a container
  11. sharp — clever
  12. mug — to rob
  13. spell — magic
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. staff — a stick
  16. wake — a trail
  17. tube — the underground
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. spell — letters
  22. spring — of water
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. wake — before a funeral

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