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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. ground — a position
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. pop — music
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. bore — to drill
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. ground — the earth
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. root — of a word
  19. craft — boats
  20. pop — to visit
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pop — soda
  23. fork — in a road
  24. ground — crushed

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