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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. drill — the tool
  3. bark — to shout
  4. spell — magic
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — farmland
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bore — to drill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. prune — to trim
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. drill — army training
  19. field — for sport
  20. spell — letters
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. prune — to trim
  24. field — a subject

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