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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spring — of water
  4. squash — the sport
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. track — a song
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bear — the animal
  13. track — a path
  14. spring — the season
  15. pound — a weight
  16. saw — the tool
  17. spring — a coil
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bear — the animal
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. track — to keep track
  23. leaves — to go away
  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