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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · drill · fork · leaves · squash · mate · track · land

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. track — to keep track
  4. land — a country
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. drill — the tool
  7. track — a song
  8. land — to come down
  9. mate — to breed
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fork — in a road
  13. perch — the fish
  14. track — a path
  15. land — ground
  16. drill — army training
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. squash — to crush
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. squash — the sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. mate — a partner

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