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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. saw — the tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. last — to go on
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. spell — letters
  7. field — farmland
  8. last — final
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. field — a subject
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. field — for sport
  14. fork — in a road
  15. tear — from crying
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tear — from crying
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. bore — to drill
  21. last — finally
  22. bore — to tire
  23. spell — magic
  24. fork — a garden tool

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