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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 120 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
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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 · club · bat · last · stem · mine · can · fork

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. club — a group
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. last — to go on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. bore — to drill
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — for digging
  12. club — for golf
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. can — a tin
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — final
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fork — in a road
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stem — to come from

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