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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. present — there
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. present — a gift
  5. bank — for money
  6. mate — a friend
  7. root — of a plant
  8. bank — for money
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. cold — not warm
  12. content — happy
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. root — of a word
  15. bank — of a river
  16. present — the time now
  17. root — the cause
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. content — the amount
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. mate — a partner
  23. cold — an illness
  24. mate — to breed

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