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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — music
  7. rash — a series
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. bound — tied together
  12. shower — to wash
  13. march — the month
  14. march — the month
  15. bass — the fish
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. kick — in football
  21. bass — low music
  22. shower — rain
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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