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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rock · fork · race · bore · tube · spring · ball · mine

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bore — to drill
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a dance
  5. spring — of water
  6. tube — a container
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. mine — for digging
  10. tube — the underground
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. rock — music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bore — to tire
  17. fork — in a road
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. spring — the season
  23. ball — a great time
  24. race — a contest

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