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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 116 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: object · spell · present · fork · cell · court · bark · wind

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cell — in biology
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. object — to protest
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. fork — in a road
  12. object — an aim
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. present — there
  15. wind — moving air
  16. spell — letters
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. object — a thing
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cell — a phone
  21. court — for sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. present — a gift
  24. bark — to shout

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