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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 120 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: tear · bulb · key · mug · fork · rest · bay · wake

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. bulb — for light
  3. key — the most important part
  4. mug — a face
  5. tear — from crying
  6. tear — from crying
  7. key — for a lock
  8. wake — a trail
  9. rest — a break
  10. tear — to rip
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. key — in music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. mug — to rob
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fork — in a road
  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