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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. file — a tool
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. branch — a division
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. file — a document
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. file — a line of people

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