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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. shower — rain
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bore — to drill
  15. wound — an injury
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bark — to shout
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bore — to tire
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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