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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tear — from crying
  5. face — part of the head
  6. tear — from crying
  7. fork — in a road
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stock — shares
  13. face — to confront
  14. stock — goods
  15. tear — to rip
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rock — a stone
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rock — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. saw — the 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