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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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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 · hide · fork · saw · lean · arm · bulb · rule

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. bulb — for light
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rule — a law
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. saw — the tool
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bulb — for light
  12. lean — thin
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. saw — the tool
  18. rule — government
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. rule — to rule out

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