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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: wake · land · staff · fork · foot · jam · hand · race

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hand — help
  4. staff — a stick
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. race — humankind
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wake — a trail
  9. staff — employees
  10. land — a country
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. staff — employees
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. land — ground
  16. race — a contest
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. land — to come down
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — a measure
  24. fork — in a road

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