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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 120 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: chest · pit · bulb · march · rock · wave · fork · fine

  1. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fork — in a road
  5. march — music
  6. pit — in a race
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. chest — of your body
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. rock — a stone
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. chest — a box
  16. march — the month
  17. rock — music
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. chest — of your body
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. march — the month
  23. fine — all right
  24. bulb — for light

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