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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 120 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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. spell — a short time
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rock — music
  7. spell — letters
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bore — to drill
  17. swing — in golf
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rock — a stone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. swing — music
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. spell — magic
  24. wind — to turn a key

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