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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · cabinet · present · pass · fork · file

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. present — a gift
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. file — a line of people
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. wind — moving air
  9. file — a document
  10. wind — moving air
  11. present — there
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. present — the time now
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fork — in a road
  18. file — a 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