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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: pound · mate · safe · rock · fork · fall · bore · wound

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mate — a friend
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rock — music
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. fall — the season
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. rock — a stone
  20. pound — a weight
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. fork — in a road

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