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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: fork · bay · drill · tear · arm · cabinet · root · content

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — army training
  4. root — of a plant
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. drill — a practice
  12. root — of a word
  13. fork — in a road
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. content — happy
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. tear — from crying
  20. tear — to rip
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. content — the amount
  24. root — the cause

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