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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. spring — a coil
  4. net — for catching
  5. spring — the season
  6. drill — the tool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. spring — of water
  11. drill — a practice
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. net — in sport
  14. drill — army training
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. swing — to play on
  17. net — after costs
  18. swing — music
  19. fork — in a road
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. prune — to trim
  24. swing — in golf

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