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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bore — to tire
  3. chair — a leader
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. clip — a video
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. clip — to cut
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. lean — thin
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bore — to drill
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. current — electric
  19. clip — for paper
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. current — of water
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. lean — to bend
  24. current — happening now

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