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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. fall — to drop
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bore — to tire
  5. fall — to drop
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. squash — to crush
  11. current — electric
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fork — in a road
  20. tube — a container
  21. fall — the season
  22. tube — the underground
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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