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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — the animal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bear — the animal
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. hand — help
  8. row — a line
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. prune — to trim
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. drill — a practice
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. row — to paddle
  15. prune — to trim
  16. fork — in a road
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. drill — army training
  21. hand — in cards
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — the 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