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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 stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. root — the cause
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. root — of a word
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bound — certain
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. field — a subject
  17. lean — thin
  18. bore — to tire
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bound — tied together
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. bark — to shout
  23. root — of a plant
  24. wave — of the sea

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