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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — for digging
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. band — a music group
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. wind — moving air
  17. band — a ring
  18. bore — to tire
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bore — gave birth

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