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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bark — to shout
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bore — to tire
  11. roll — a cake
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. craft — a skill
  16. roll — a list
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. bore — to drill
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pop — music
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. pop — soda

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