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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bore — to drill
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. mate — a friend
  5. bark — to shout
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mate — to breed
  8. can — to be able to
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. bore — to tire
  16. can — a tin
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. can — a tin

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