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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 120 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: cold · wind · cabinet · bay · bore · fork · land · tube

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. tube — the underground
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. cold — not warm
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — moving air
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bore — to drill
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. land — ground
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — to come down
  18. tube — a container
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. land — a country
  24. fork — a garden tool

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