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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 who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. bark — to shout
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. degree — from a university
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fall — the season
  9. land — to come down
  10. degree — temperature
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. land — ground
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. degree — an amount
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. vault — a safe
  18. land — a country
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bore — to tire
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. nail — for a hammer

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