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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: tear · hide · fork · rock · foot · band · can · kick

  1. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. can — a tin
  4. rock — music
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. can — to be able to
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. tear — from crying
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. rock — a stone
  12. can — a tin
  13. foot — a measure
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a ring
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. tear — from crying
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. fork — in a road
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. tear — to rip
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. kick — in football
  24. foot — the bottom

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