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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. lean — thin
  3. spell — letters
  4. bark — to shout
  5. rest — a break
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. rock — music
  10. bore — to drill
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. spell — a short time
  16. lean — to bend
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. rest — what's left
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. rock — a stone

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