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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: bound · kid · jam · foot · tear · fork · file · stand

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bound — certain
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. tear — to rip
  6. kid — child
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. kid — to tease
  10. fork — in a road
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a tool
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. foot — a measure
  15. tear — from crying
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. file — a line of people
  19. tear — from crying
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. bound — obliged
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. stand — to bear

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