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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. file — a document
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bore — to tire
  5. file — a tool
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. file — a line of people
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. snap — to click
  12. bore — to drill
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. stem — to come from
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. dip — to sink
  24. sharp — exactly

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