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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 116 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: stick · fine · mouse · spring · wind · fork · bark · chair

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fine — all right
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. spring — a coil
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. fine — high quality
  9. wind — moving air
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. spring — of water
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. wind — moving air
  20. chair — a leader
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. fork — in a road
  24. bark — to shout

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