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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: bulb · land · wind · last · sharp · hide · fork · wound

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fork — in a road
  4. land — ground
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. last — to go on
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. land — a country
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. last — finally
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wind — moving air
  19. sharp — clever
  20. last — final
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. land — to come down

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