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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: cabinet · hide · fork · deal · bear · bat · spring · game

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. spring — of water
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bear — the animal
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spring — a coil
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. game — a match
  17. deal — to handle
  18. spring — the season
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bat — the animal
  22. bear — the animal
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. cabinet — ministers

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