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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. staff — a stick
  4. season — of the year
  5. tube — the underground
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. squash — to crush
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. rash — a series
  11. staff — employees
  12. current — of water
  13. tube — a container
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — hasty
  17. season — in sport
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. staff — employees
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. squash — the sport
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — a country

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