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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: mark · craft · fork · hide · hand · tube · bowl · game

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. tube — the underground
  8. tube — a container
  9. fork — in a road
  10. craft — boats
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. game — a match
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. hand — in cards
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mark — a grade
  24. craft — a skill

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