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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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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: spring · bay · wind · date · fork · rock · key · toast

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spring — a coil
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — of water
  9. key — for a lock
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — moving air
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. rock — a stone
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. toast — bread
  24. rock — music

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