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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  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. fork — a garden tool
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — the fish
  10. race — a contest
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. race — the arms race
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. tube — a container
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. stem — to come from
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. tube — the underground
  19. vault — a safe
  20. race — humankind
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  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