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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. drill — army training
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. drill — a practice
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. vault — a safe
  9. season — of the year
  10. bore — to drill
  11. drill — the tool
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. chest — of your body
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. bark — to shout
  20. season — in sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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