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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bark — to shout
  3. pop — to visit
  4. pop — soda
  5. mark — a trace
  6. sharp — clever
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. spring — the season
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. dip — to sink
  17. pop — music
  18. spring — of water
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mark — a grade
  24. bore — gave birth

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