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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tube — a container
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. staff — employees
  6. spell — letters
  7. track — a song
  8. spell — a short time
  9. staff — a stick
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tear — to rip
  15. tear — from crying
  16. track — a path
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. track — to keep track
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — magic
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. staff — employees
  24. fork — a garden tool

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