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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. can — a tin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. fork — in a road
  7. rush — hurry
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — to drill
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. rock — a stone

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