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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. track — a path
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. track — a song
  18. pound — a weight
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bore — to drill
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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