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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 116 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bore — to tire
  3. object — a thing
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. firm — a company
  7. bark — to shout
  8. bore — to drill
  9. object — to protest
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. firm — decided
  14. court — of a king
  15. kick — in football
  16. court — for sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. firm — steady
  20. wound — an injury
  21. court — of law
  22. object — an aim
  23. bass — low music
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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