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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. shower — to wash
  4. degree — from a university
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. band — a ring
  7. shower — rain
  8. stand — to bear
  9. saw — the tool
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. bore — to tire
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. degree — an amount
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. saw — the tool
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. degree — temperature
  22. bore — to drill
  23. fork — in a road
  24. band — a music group

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