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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. band — a ring
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tube — the underground
  7. band — a music group
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. last — to go on
  10. race — a contest
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. stem — to come from
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. race — the arms race
  17. race — humankind
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fork — in a road
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. tube — a container

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