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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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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: row · bear · fork · content · squash · hide · net · saw

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. net — in sport
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. row — a line
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. content — the amount
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. content — happy
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bear — the animal
  13. squash — to crush
  14. net — after costs
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. squash — the sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. net — for catching
  24. hide — animal skin

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