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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. sharp — clever
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. tear — from crying
  9. fork — in a road
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spell — a short time
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. spell — letters
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. tear — to rip
  22. bore — to drill
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. fork — a garden 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