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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. staff — a stick
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. rock — a stone
  13. bark — to shout
  14. rush — hurry
  15. kid — child
  16. rock — music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bore — to drill
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. kid — to tease

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