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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: date · squash · bore · bat · tear · lie · fork · roll

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bat — the animal
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. bore — to drill
  7. squash — to crush
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. fork — in a road
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. squash — the sport
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bore — to tire
  15. date — the fruit
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. tear — from crying
  18. roll — a list
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. roll — a cake
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bat — in an idiom

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