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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — to shout
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. clip — for paper
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. suit — in cards
  7. season — in sport
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bore — to drill
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. suit — to fit
  16. wake — a trail
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. clip — to cut
  21. clip — a video
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bark — of a tree

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