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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bore — to tire
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. mark — a grade
  6. bore — to drill
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. bark — to shout
  9. file — a document
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. file — a line of people
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — the tool
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. rush — hurry
  23. file — a tool
  24. mark — a trace

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