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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: fork · bulb · game · racket · snap · foot · spring · cabinet

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. spring — the season
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. spring — a coil
  10. fork — in a road
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to click
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — a measure
  20. bulb — for light
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. game — a match
  23. spring — of water
  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