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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chest — a box
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. chest — of your body
  11. cell — a phone
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cell — in biology
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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