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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bark — to shout
  4. row — a line
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. last — to go on
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. spring — a coil
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. row — to paddle
  15. bore — to drill
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. last — final
  20. bore — to tire
  21. last — finally
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. foot — a measure
  24. sharp — with an edge

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