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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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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: bear · fork · saw · object · cold · chair · straw · mouse

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bear — the animal
  3. object — an aim
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bear — the animal
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. chair — a leader
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. object — a thing
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cold — an illness
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — to protest
  24. chair — a professorship

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