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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  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. row — a quarrel
  2. rest — what's left
  3. present — there
  4. object — an aim
  5. row — to paddle
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. prune — to trim
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — help
  13. present — a gift
  14. row — a line
  15. present — the time now
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rest — what's left
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bore — to tire
  20. prune — to trim
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — to protest
  23. rest — a break
  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