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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: fork · saw · craft · foot · mouse · ball · mine · cold

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ball — a great time
  4. fork — in a road
  5. cold — an illness
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. cold — not warm
  8. craft — boats
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. saw — the tool
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. foot — a measure
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. mine — for digging
  20. craft — a skill
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ball — a dance

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