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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. key — the most important part
  3. shower — to wash
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. key — for a lock
  6. lie — to recline
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. key — in music
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. band — a music group
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. mug — to rob
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mine — for digging
  21. fork — in a road
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — rain
  24. band — a ring

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