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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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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: mine · track · craft · fork · spell · cue · bound · wake

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bound — certain
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bound — tied together
  6. spell — letters
  7. bound — obliged
  8. mine — for digging
  9. track — a path
  10. cue — a signal
  11. fork — in a road
  12. wake — a trail
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — for pool
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. track — to keep track
  19. craft — boats
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. track — a song

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