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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. can — to be able to
  3. march — the month
  4. file — a document
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. wound — an injury
  9. file — a tool
  10. bank — for money
  11. spell — a short time
  12. can — a tin
  13. file — a line of people
  14. spell — magic
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. rest — what's left
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bank — of a river
  22. march — music
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — letters

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