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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: fork · saw · row · spring · dip · bass · race · rest

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. spring — of water
  4. saw — the tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. race — a contest
  7. race — the arms race
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. row — to paddle
  10. rest — what's left
  11. dip — to sink
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the fish
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — a line
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. spring — the season
  24. race — humankind

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