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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 124 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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. file — a line of people
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. clip — a video
  7. file — a tool
  8. wound — an injury
  9. clip — to cut
  10. can — a tin
  11. file — a document
  12. field — a subject
  13. can — a tin
  14. wound — an injury
  15. fork — in a road
  16. field — for sport
  17. staff — employees
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. clip — for paper
  20. can — to be able to
  21. field — farmland
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — for light

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