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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: bound · fork · bowl · row · saw · date · kid · tube

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. row — to paddle
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bound — obliged
  6. date — the fruit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bound — certain
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. row — a line
  15. kid — to tease
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. fork — in a road
  18. tube — a container
  19. bound — tied together
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. kid — child
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. tube — the underground

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