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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. tube — the underground
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bore — to drill
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. plane — a tool
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to click
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. wind — moving air
  19. tube — a container
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bore — to tire
  22. chip — for betting
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. pitcher — a jug

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