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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — steady
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. bore — to tire
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. march — the month
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rule — government
  15. bore — to drill
  16. firm — a company
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. fork — in a road
  19. march — the month
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. snap — to click
  22. march — music
  23. rule — a law
  24. wind — to turn a key

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