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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: fork · toast · firm · tube · sharp · chest · shower · land

  1. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. fork — in a road
  5. shower — rain
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. chest — of your body
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. chest — of your body
  10. land — a country
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. firm — decided
  13. land — ground
  14. tube — the underground
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chest — a box
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. land — to come down
  20. tube — a container
  21. firm — steady
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. firm — a company
  24. toast — bread

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