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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. cue — a signal
  3. fork — in a road
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. spell — letters
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — magic
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. club — for golf
  13. club — a group
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. spell — a short time
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cue — a hint
  20. club — for dancing
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cue — for pool
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fork — to eat with

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