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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: bark · tear · fork · roll · pass · spring · safe · drill

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. spring — the season
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. pass — a permit
  16. roll — a list
  17. spring — of water
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. tear — from crying
  21. roll — a cake
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. drill — army training
  24. drill — the tool

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