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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bark — to shout
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. fall — the season
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. bore — to drill
  9. present — a gift
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. fall — to drop
  12. squash — to crush
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. present — the time now
  16. shower — rain
  17. squash — the sport
  18. lean — to bend
  19. fall — to drop
  20. shower — to wash
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. lean — thin

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