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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bark — to shout
  3. court — for sport
  4. bore — to tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. court — of a king
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. court — of law
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. chest — a box
  17. bore — to drill
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bulb — for light
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. arm — part of the body

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