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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. rest — what's left
  3. fork — in a road
  4. wake — a trail
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. kid — to tease
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rest — a break
  14. kid — child
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cell — a phone
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cell — in biology
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. rest — what's left

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