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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. lean — thin
  5. drill — army training
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. chest — of your body
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fork — in a road
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — a practice
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bore — to tire
  20. saw — the tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. saw — the tool
  24. chest — a box

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