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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. game — wild animals
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bore — to tire
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. spell — letters
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. game — a match
  14. rush — hurry
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — to drill
  18. plane — a tool

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