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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: rock · rush · row · rule · wake · pound · tear · fork

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. pound — a weight
  3. rule — a law
  4. row — to paddle
  5. tear — from crying
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rock — a stone
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. tear — from crying
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. rock — music
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rule — government
  17. tear — to rip
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fork — in a road
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. row — a line

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