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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. fork — in a road
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. prune — to trim
  8. spring — a coil
  9. craft — boats
  10. deal — to handle
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spring — the season
  19. spring — of water
  20. drill — army training
  21. prune — to trim
  22. drill — a practice
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. craft — a handicraft

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