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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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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: bowl · fork · bore · ball · prune · temple · chair · last

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. last — final
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. chair — a leader
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. last — finally
  11. fork — in a road
  12. ball — a great time
  13. prune — to trim
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. last — to go on
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. ball — a dance
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bore — to tire
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bore — to drill

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