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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 124 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. dip — to sink
  12. bore — to tire
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bound — obliged
  15. bark — to shout
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bound — certain
  18. bore — to drill
  19. pop — soda
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. roll — a list
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bound — tied together
  24. pop — music

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