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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. capital — money
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wind — moving air
  11. race — humankind
  12. race — the arms race
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. race — a contest
  17. capital — a city
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wind — moving air
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stem — to come from
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. capital — a big letter

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