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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 came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. bulb — for light
  4. tear — to rip
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — the sport
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. club — a group
  13. snap — to click
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bore — to tire
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bore — to drill
  18. squash — to crush
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. tear — from crying

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