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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. net — after costs
  4. fork — in a road
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. swing — to play on
  8. net — in sport
  9. bore — to tire
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. bore — to drill
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bark — to shout
  14. swing — in golf
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — for catching
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. squash — to crush
  21. staff — a stick
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. swing — music

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