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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. squash — the sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. fine — all right
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bark — to shout
  12. squash — to crush
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — high quality
  17. court — for sport
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — of a king
  20. wax — to grow
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. court — of law
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. cabinet — ministers

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