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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. court — of a king
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. court — of law
  9. last — final
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. last — finally
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. bore — to tire
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rock — a stone
  19. court — for sport
  20. craft — a skill
  21. rock — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. craft — boats

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