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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bark — to shout
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. board — to get on
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. rash — a series
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. land — a country
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to tire
  18. dip — to sink
  19. land — to come down
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. board — a committee
  22. land — ground
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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