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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: row · file · jam · spring · fork · toast · mouse · wound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. spring — a coil
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. file — a tool
  6. toast — bread
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spring — of water
  9. fork — in a road
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. spring — the season
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a document
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. row — to paddle
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. file — a line of people

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