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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: fork · ball · wind · racket · chip · club · wave · stem

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — to eat
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. club — for golf
  8. stem — a stem cell
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. chip — for betting
  13. club — for dancing
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fork — in a road
  17. stem — to come from
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — a group
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stem — of a plant

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