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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. stand — to bear
  3. fork — in a road
  4. staff — employees
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. file — a line of people
  7. date — the fruit
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. staff — a stick
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. file — a tool
  19. branch — a division
  20. staff — employees
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a document
  24. stand — on your feet

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