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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 · content · bat · craft · bark · pitcher · squash · tear

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — the animal
  5. tear — from crying
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. craft — boats
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. content — the amount
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. squash — to crush
  15. tear — to rip
  16. content — happy
  17. squash — the sport
  18. tear — from crying
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bark — to shout

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