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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. spell — magic
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. tube — the underground
  7. key — the most important part
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — of water
  11. tube — a container
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. fork — in a road
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. spell — letters
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — a trail
  22. key — in music
  23. key — for a lock
  24. tube — in a tire

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