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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bark — to shout
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. file — a document
  5. tube — the underground
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. tube — a container
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bore — to tire
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. bore — to drill
  23. mine — for digging
  24. file — a line of people

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