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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: rash · roll · bay · spring · file · cue · fork · object

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. spring — of water
  3. roll — a list
  4. file — a line of people
  5. spring — a coil
  6. object — an aim
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — a hint
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. rash — a series
  11. cue — a signal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. fork — in a road
  16. spring — the season
  17. object — to protest
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cue — for pool
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a tool
  24. object — a thing

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