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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 120 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: object · mark · snap · fork · temple · cold · mine · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. snap — to click
  6. bore — to tire
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. object — a thing
  16. mark — a trace
  17. mine — for digging
  18. cold — not warm
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cold — an illness
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mine — belonging to me

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