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

Word bank: bat · wind · safe · key · bore · pound · fork · bark

  1. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. wind — moving air
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — the animal
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. bark — to shout
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — to drill
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pound — a weight
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bat — for baseball

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