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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 112 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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. wound — an injury
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cap — a lid
  8. bore — to drill
  9. net — after costs
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. cap — a hat
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — to tire
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — in football
  20. net — for catching
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — of ice

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