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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. drill — the tool
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cold — an illness
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. capital — a city
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. capital — money
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. suit — to fit
  18. drill — a practice
  19. suit — in cards
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bore — to tire

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