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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. fork — in a road
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. file — a line of people
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. drill — a practice
  9. root — of a word
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. file — a document
  13. file — a tool
  14. drill — army training
  15. root — the cause
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. drill — the tool
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bore — to tire
  20. perch — the fish
  21. date — the fruit
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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