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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — letters
  6. deal — to handle
  7. fork — in a road
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. craft — a skill
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. spell — magic
  12. object — an aim
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. object — a thing
  16. stem — to come from
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. spell — a short time
  20. kick — in football
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. craft — boats

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