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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: saw · race · band · cabinet · stand · fork · mouse · racket

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. stand — to bear
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. race — the arms race
  5. saw — the tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fork — in a road
  10. band — a ring
  11. race — humankind
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. saw — the tool
  17. band — a music group
  18. race — a contest
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. cabinet — ministers

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