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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: track · lean · toast · bass · stick · bore · fork · rule

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. toast — bread
  3. bore — to drill
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. track — a path
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. rule — government
  14. bass — low music
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. lean — thin
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bass — the fish
  19. track — a song
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. bore — to tire
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. rule — a law
  24. fork — in a road

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