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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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. track — to keep track
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mate — a friend
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. track — a path
  9. mate — to breed
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a music group
  12. track — a song
  13. mate — a partner
  14. fall — the season
  15. band — a ring
  16. craft — boats
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fall — to drop
  19. squash — the sport
  20. saw — the tool
  21. squash — to crush
  22. saw — the tool
  23. craft — a skill
  24. fork — in a road

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