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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 124 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bear — the animal
  15. mark — a trace
  16. bulb — for light
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to tire
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. coach — a trainer

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