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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 120 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: cabinet · mate · row · pit · bulb · fork · arm · tear

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. tear — from crying
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. bulb — for light
  8. mate — a friend
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mate — a partner
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. pit — in a race
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tear — to rip
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — in a road
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. tear — from crying

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