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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — letters
  7. spell — magic
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bore — to tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. perch — the fish
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bark — to shout
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. wind — moving air
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. tube — a container
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wind — moving air
  24. perch — for a bird

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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