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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 120 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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. net — after costs
  5. spring — of water
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spring — the season
  8. bulb — for light
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. net — for catching
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. game — a match
  15. wake — a trail
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. net — in sport
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spring — a coil

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