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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. present — there
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. race — humankind
  7. prune — to trim
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. rash — hasty
  10. present — a gift
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. race — a contest
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bark — to shout
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bore — to tire
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. present — the time now
  21. race — the arms race
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. rash — a series

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