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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. clip — a video
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. land — ground
  5. rest — a break
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bore — to drill
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rest — what's left
  14. land — a country
  15. clip — to cut
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. fork — in a road
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — for paper
  22. chip — to eat
  23. land — to come down
  24. fork — to eat with

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