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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 a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. content — the amount
  3. spring — the season
  4. content — happy
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. drill — army training
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. bark — to shout
  15. row — to paddle
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. row — a line
  18. drill — the tool
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. pass — a permit
  21. dip — to sink
  22. spring — a coil
  23. spring — of water
  24. fork — in a road

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