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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bore — to tire
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fall — the season
  9. fall — to drop
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bark — to shout
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. bore — to drill
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. toast — bread
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. branch — a division
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. bore — gave birth

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