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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bark — to shout
  4. staff — a stick
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. pound — a weight
  17. staff — employees
  18. kick — in football
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bore — to tire
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. staff — employees
  24. pound — to hit hard

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