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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. fall — to drop
  5. wind — moving air
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fork — in a road
  9. craft — boats
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. wind — moving air
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bear — the animal
  17. content — the amount
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. fall — the season
  20. stem — to come from
  21. craft — a skill
  22. fall — to drop
  23. content — happy
  24. fork — a garden tool

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