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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: scale · wind · bulb · fork · rule · track · tear · leaves

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wind — moving air
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. rule — a law
  9. track — a path
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. tear — from crying
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rule — government
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. tear — to rip
  17. scale — size or range
  18. track — to keep track
  19. bulb — for light
  20. track — a song
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tear — from crying
  24. scale — in music

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