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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: mate · bark · straw · fork · rest · fine · cell · toast

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — in biology
  7. mate — a friend
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. toast — bread
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cell — a phone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. mate — a partner
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rest — a break
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. mate — to breed
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. bark — of a tree

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