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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: current · rash · cell · fork · tear · hide · rock · mate

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. fork — in a road
  3. rock — music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tear — from crying
  6. cell — in biology
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. rock — a stone
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rash — hasty
  12. mate — a friend
  13. current — of water
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. rash — a series
  16. current — electric
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — a partner
  22. tear — from crying
  23. tear — to rip
  24. hide — animal skin

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