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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: pit · fork · cap · cabinet · key · hand · tear · bark

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. hand — help
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. key — in music
  7. pit — in a race
  8. hand — in cards
  9. pit — a hole
  10. tear — to rip
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. key — for a lock
  14. tear — from crying
  15. key — the most important part
  16. tear — from crying
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bark — to shout
  20. fork — in a road
  21. cap — a lid
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. cap — a hat
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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