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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bark — to shout
  10. object — an aim
  11. drill — army training
  12. suit — in cards
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. hand — help
  15. suit — to fit
  16. row — a line
  17. bound — certain
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. suit — clothes
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. drill — the tool

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