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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. shower — rain
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bank — for money
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. bank — for money
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bore — to tire
  11. last — to go on
  12. last — final
  13. bark — to shout
  14. season — of the year
  15. pit — in a race
  16. shower — to wash
  17. last — finally
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bank — of a river
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. racket — for tennis

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