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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rash — hasty
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. file — a line of people
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. mate — a friend
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. rash — a series
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — the fish
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. mate — to breed
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. file — a document

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