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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 116 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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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. row — to paddle
  2. tear — from crying
  3. ground — the earth
  4. drill — the tool
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. ground — a position
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — army training
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. fork — in a road
  14. row — a line
  15. tube — the underground
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. tube — a container
  18. kid — child
  19. tear — to rip
  20. tear — from crying
  21. kid — to tease
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ground — crushed
  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