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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 116 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: bore · ground · fall · perch · kid · fork · staff · race

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. staff — employees
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. bore — to tire
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. perch — the fish
  12. staff — employees
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — humankind
  15. race — the arms race
  16. kid — child
  17. fall — to drop
  18. fork — in a road
  19. bore — to drill
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. ground — crushed

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