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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. last — to go on
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. bound — certain
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — obliged
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wake — a trail
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. present — the time now
  15. last — finally
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. branch — a division
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. last — final

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