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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. wind — moving air
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. last — finally
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. sharp — clever
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. last — final
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. last — to go on
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lean — to bend
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. wind — moving air
  19. lean — thin
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. tube — a container
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. fork — in a road

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