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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bore — to tire
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cell — a phone
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bore — to drill
  10. lean — thin
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — help
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. content — happy
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. lean — to bend
  21. vault — a safe
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. cell — in biology
  24. content — the amount

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