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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 120 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: fork · fan · wave · saw · capital · ruler · kid · chest

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. saw — the tool
  5. chest — a box
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kid — to tease
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. saw — the tool
  19. kid — child
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. capital — money
  23. capital — a city
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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