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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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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: rest · object · fork · bank · file · pitcher · squash · cap

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. squash — the sport
  3. squash — to crush
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bank — for money
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. file — a document
  15. file — a tool
  16. cap — a hat
  17. object — a thing
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bank — of a river
  20. rest — what's left
  21. object — an aim
  22. bank — for money
  23. file — a line of people
  24. squash — the vegetable

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