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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. prune — to trim
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bore — to tire
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bark — to shout
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. pop — to visit
  14. charge — in control
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pop — music
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pop — soda
  24. prune — the fruit

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