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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: rash · tear · fork · can · stick · last · present · deal

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. tear — from crying
  4. rash — a series
  5. can — to be able to
  6. last — finally
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. present — there
  9. can — a tin
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. last — to go on
  13. present — the time now
  14. tear — to rip
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. deal — to handle
  22. fork — in a road
  23. can — a tin
  24. present — a gift

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