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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: bowl · fork · ruler · plane · row · bear · spell · tear

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. tear — from crying
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. spell — letters
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. tear — from crying
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. plane — a tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bear — the animal
  19. row — a line
  20. bear — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. tear — to rip
  24. fork — in a road

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