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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  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. firm — a company
  2. staff — employees
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wound — an injury
  5. spring — a coil
  6. bore — to drill
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spring — the season
  9. firm — decided
  10. face — part of the head
  11. bore — to tire
  12. face — to confront
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. firm — steady
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. face — to point toward
  18. spring — of water
  19. staff — employees
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bark — of a tree
  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