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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. fork — in a road
  3. present — the time now
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — finally
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bore — to tire
  13. present — there
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. present — a gift
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. stem — to come from
  21. bore — to drill
  22. snap — to click
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. last — final

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