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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bark — to shout
  4. dip — to sink
  5. lean — thin
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pop — music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. race — humankind
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pop — to visit
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. race — a contest
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. bore — to drill
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lean — to bend

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