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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bank — for money
  6. toast — bread
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. bank — of a river
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bore — to drill
  12. game — wild animals
  13. row — a line
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. fork — in a road
  18. spring — of water
  19. bore — to tire
  20. bank — for money
  21. spring — the season
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. fork — a garden tool

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