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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. drill — the tool
  3. sharp — clever
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. rock — music
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. drill — army training
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fork — in a road
  13. bark — to shout
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. drill — a practice
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — the fish
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. fork — to eat with

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