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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: mine · pitcher · pound · spell · tube · board · fork · shower

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. spell — magic
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mine — for digging
  7. spell — letters
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. board — a committee
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. board — to get on
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. shower — rain
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. shower — to wash
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. tube — the underground
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tube — a container

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