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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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. bulb — for light
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. sharp — clever
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. mug — to rob
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. bore — to drill
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mug — a face
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bulb — for light
  24. branch — a division

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