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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: bat · fork · bear · mark · file · wave · rash · saw

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. file — a tool
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. file — a line of people
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. file — a document
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. bear — the animal
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. rash — a series
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bat — the animal

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