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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: pop · bore · fork · temple · date · stock

  1. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pop — to visit
  3. stock — goods
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bore — to drill
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bore — to tire
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stock — shares
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. pop — music
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. temple — side of the head
  17. fork — in a road
  18. pop — soda

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