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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 · wake · cue · bowl · clip · lash · track · cabinet

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. track — a song
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cue — for pool
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cue — a signal
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. track — a path
  19. wake — a trail
  20. clip — a video
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. track — to keep track

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