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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: rock · ground · pitcher · fork · wind · craft · bank · object

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. rock — music
  3. object — to protest
  4. bank — of a river
  5. object — an aim
  6. rock — a stone
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. fork — in a road
  12. craft — boats
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. ground — crushed
  16. object — a thing
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. wind — moving air
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bank — for money
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — for money
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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