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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bore — to tire
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bore — to drill
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. rock — a stone
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. present — the time now
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. present — there
  17. present — a gift
  18. rock — music
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mine — for digging
  23. shower — rain
  24. mine — belonging to me

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