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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 116 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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. track — a song
  4. wound — an injury
  5. file — a tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. fork — in a road
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bank — for money
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. capital — a city
  16. track — a path
  17. capital — money
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. file — a document
  20. file — a line of people
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. bank — for money
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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