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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: file · spell · present · firm · chest · fan · fork · wake

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. chest — of your body
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — a short time
  6. present — the time now
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. firm — steady
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. fork — in a road
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. present — a gift
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. present — there
  19. firm — decided
  20. chest — a box
  21. spell — magic
  22. firm — a company
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fork — to eat with

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