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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — to shout
  8. land — ground
  9. land — to come down
  10. cue — for pool
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. land — a country
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. content — the amount
  17. cue — a hint
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bore — to drill
  20. snap — to click
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. cue — a signal

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