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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fork — in a road
  9. net — in sport
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. scale — in music
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. tear — from crying
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. net — for catching
  22. board — to get on
  23. net — after costs
  24. board — a committee

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