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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. ground — crushed
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. spring — the season
  6. current — of water
  7. drill — the tool
  8. ground — the earth
  9. tear — from crying
  10. current — happening now
  11. drill — army training
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — of water
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — to rip
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. drill — a practice
  18. sharp — clever
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. tear — from crying
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. current — electric
  24. fan — a supporter

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