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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. band — a music group
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. band — a ring
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. bore — to drill
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. last — final
  16. kid — child
  17. bark — to shout
  18. last — finally
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. kid — to tease
  23. bore — to tire
  24. last — to go on

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