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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: hand · wave · stem · fan · fork · mate · kid · present

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stem — to come from
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — help
  6. mate — to breed
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. kid — child
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. present — there
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — to tease
  15. present — the time now
  16. present — a gift
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. mate — a partner
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. mate — a friend
  24. fan — to cool the air

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