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

Word bank: toast · wound · fork · roll · mine · pass

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. wound — an injury
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. roll — a cake
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. roll — a list
  10. toast — bread
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wound — an injury
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. fork — in a road
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pass — a permit

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