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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: fork · rash · roll · bulb · firm · bore · game · can

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. firm — steady
  3. rash — hasty
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rash — a series
  7. fork — in a road
  8. roll — a cake
  9. game — a match
  10. bore — to drill
  11. firm — a company
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. bulb — for light
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. bulb — for light
  16. can — to be able to
  17. firm — decided
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. roll — a list
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. game — a kind of play

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