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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. club — for golf
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. degree — an amount
  10. club — for dancing
  11. degree — from a university
  12. club — a group
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bore — to tire
  15. rash — a series
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. lie — to recline
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — hasty
  24. patient — a sick person

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