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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. fall — to drop
  6. fall — the season
  7. chest — a box
  8. can — a tin
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. squash — to crush
  13. prune — to trim
  14. squash — the sport
  15. can — a tin
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fork — in a road
  20. prune — to trim
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fall — to drop
  23. wound — an injury
  24. chest — of your body

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