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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bore — to drill
  3. chest — of your body
  4. spell — letters
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spell — a short time
  9. net — for catching
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. rash — hasty
  13. chest — a box
  14. rash — a series
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. track — a path
  17. net — after costs
  18. spell — magic
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. net — in sport
  22. bore — to tire
  23. chest — of your body
  24. track — a song

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