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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: stick · arm · file · key · bear · fork · cell · wound

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. 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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. bear — the animal
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. key — for a lock
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. cell — a phone
  7. file — a document
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. cell — in biology
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. fork — in a road
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. bear — the animal
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. key — in music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. wound — an injury
  24. 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