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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: current · bear · fork · chest · stick · cabinet

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. 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. bear — to put up with
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fork — in a road
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. current — of water
  10. chest — of your body
  11. current — electric
  12. current — happening now
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. chest — a box
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. 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