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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  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. can — to be able to
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — a skill
  7. can — a tin
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. spring — of water
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. spring — a coil
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. rule — a law
  17. craft — boats
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. wind — moving air
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — the season
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. can — a tin
  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