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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: tear · bore · key · rule · pop · fork · stock · field

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. key — in music
  6. stock — goods
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. pop — soda
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. stock — shares
  15. field — farmland
  16. bore — to tire
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — to rip
  20. rule — government
  21. pop — music
  22. key — for a lock
  23. field — for sport
  24. pop — to visit

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