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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. drill — army training
  3. bark — to shout
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bear — the animal
  9. content — the amount
  10. hand — in cards
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bear — the animal
  14. rule — a law
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. content — happy
  19. drill — a practice
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. drill — the tool
  23. rule — government
  24. bound — certain

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