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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pop — soda
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. rock — music
  8. spring — the season
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bark — to shout
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. pop — music
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. spring — a coil
  19. bore — to tire
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. spring — of water
  23. mine — for digging
  24. pop — to visit

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