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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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468
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: straw · mouse · bear · fork · ball · squash · pitcher · stand

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stand — to bear
  4. ball — a dance
  5. squash — the sport
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. bear — the animal
  10. squash — to crush
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bear — the animal
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fork — in a road
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. ball — a round shape

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