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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: bore · cabinet · hand · fork · roll · deal · tear · plane

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bore — to tire
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tear — from crying
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. tear — to rip
  10. hand — in cards
  11. tear — from crying
  12. roll — a cake
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. fork — in a road
  15. hand — help
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. roll — a list
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bore — to drill
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. plane — a 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