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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. tear — to rip
  4. hand — help
  5. root — of a plant
  6. shower — to wash
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. cold — not warm
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. cold — an illness
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. root — of a word
  14. firm — steady
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. root — the cause
  18. shower — rain
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. firm — decided
  21. firm — a company
  22. tear — from crying
  23. hand — in cards
  24. fork — in a road

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