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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. fork — in a road
  6. bear — the animal
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. dip — to sink
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — magic
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. wax — to grow
  17. bear — the animal
  18. roll — a cake
  19. bore — to tire
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. roll — a list
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spell — a short time
  24. roll — on a roll

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