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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: bulb · leaves · chest · bat · arm · drill · staff · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — of your body
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. staff — employees
  14. chest — of your body
  15. drill — army training
  16. bat — the animal
  17. drill — a practice
  18. chest — a box
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. bulb — for light
  21. fork — in a road
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. bulb — of a plant
  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