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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  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 drill
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bark — to shout
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. roll — a cake
  7. roll — a list
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. bore — to tire
  17. wind — moving air
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. key — in music
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wind — moving air
  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