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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. board — a committee
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. kick — in football
  5. bore — to tire
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. race — a contest
  9. band — a music group
  10. clip — for paper
  11. bore — to drill
  12. suit — to fit
  13. band — a ring
  14. clip — to cut
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. suit — in cards
  17. race — the arms race
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. clip — a video
  21. board — to get on
  22. race — humankind
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. suit — clothes

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