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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 · chest · cap · toast · bulb · pitcher · object · land

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. cap — a lid
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. cap — of ice
  6. object — to protest
  7. object — an aim
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — of your body
  10. toast — bread
  11. bulb — for light
  12. land — a country
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. chest — a box
  15. cap — a hat
  16. land — to come down
  17. bulb — for light
  18. land — ground
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fork — in a road
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. object — a thing

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