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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: mine · bowl · fork · nail · content · bulb · last · bear

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. last — to go on
  9. bulb — for light
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mine — for digging
  21. last — finally
  22. last — final
  23. content — happy
  24. bear — the animal

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