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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 124 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 information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. wound — an injury
  7. file — a line of people
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bore — to drill
  10. saw — the tool
  11. spring — the season
  12. file — a tool
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. degree — temperature
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. spring — of water
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. spring — a coil
  20. degree — from a university
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. degree — an amount
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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