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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.

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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: drill · fork · bay · wind · straw · charge · bore · land

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. drill — a practice
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. land — to come down
  7. fork — in a road
  8. charge — electricity
  9. bore — to tire
  10. drill — army training
  11. charge — a price
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. land — ground
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. bore — to drill
  16. drill — the tool
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. land — a country
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — moving air
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. charge — in control
  24. wind — to turn a key

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