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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: date · cabinet · rest · pitcher · tube · wind · fork · bore

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. tube — a container
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bore — to tire
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. wind — moving air
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. tube — the underground
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. rest — a break
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. date — on the calendar

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