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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 116 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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. fine — all right
  3. pop — to visit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wind — moving air
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spell — magic
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. branch — a division
  15. pop — music
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bore — to tire
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bore — to drill
  22. fine — high quality
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. safe — out of danger

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