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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bark — to shout
  11. spell — magic
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. kid — to tease
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. spell — a short time
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bore — to tire
  21. kid — child
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spell — letters
  24. bass — the instrument

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