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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: root · pitcher · clip · rule · lie · bore · cold · fork

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rule — a law
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. bore — to drill
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rule — government
  17. cold — an illness
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. root — of a word

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