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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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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: ruler · key · squash · tear · bark · chest · safe · fork

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. key — for a lock
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bark — to shout
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. tear — to rip
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. key — the most important part
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. chest — of your body
  13. tear — from crying
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. fork — in a road
  18. squash — to crush
  19. chest — of your body
  20. key — in music
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. chest — a box
  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