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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 124 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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  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. fork — in a road
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. file — a document
  5. field — for sport
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bore — to tire
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fall — to drop
  12. file — a line of people
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bore — to drill
  15. field — farmland
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. fall — the season
  19. field — a subject
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. bore — gave birth
  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