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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. shower — rain
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. shower — to wash
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. bark — to shout
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cue — a signal
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bore — to drill
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. trunk — of a car

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