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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: fork · roll · chip · spring · perch · date · rest · tube

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. chip — for betting
  4. roll — a list
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. rest — what's left
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tube — the underground
  11. chip — to eat
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rest — a break
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. rest — what's left
  16. spring — of water
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. date — the fruit
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. roll — a cake
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — to eat with

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