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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. court — of a king
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bound — tied together
  5. object — a thing
  6. spell — letters
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. object — an aim
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. bound — certain
  15. court — of law
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. spell — a short time
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bark — to shout
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bound — obliged
  23. court — for sport
  24. bore — to tire

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