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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. fork — in a road
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. tube — a container
  5. fall — the season
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — a trail
  9. spell — a short time
  10. craft — boats
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. saw — the tool
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spell — letters
  18. fall — to drop
  19. spell — magic
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spring — a coil
  22. craft — a skill
  23. tube — the underground
  24. spring — of water

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