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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. date — the fruit
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bound — certain
  17. bark — to shout
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bound — obliged
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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