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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. clip — a video
  11. key — in music
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bore — to drill
  16. bear — the animal
  17. branch — a division
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. clip — to cut
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. key — the most important part
  22. bark — to shout
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — to eat

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