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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 116 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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pop — to visit
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bound — tied together
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rash — a series
  10. pop — music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bark — to shout
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. perch — the fish
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. bound — obliged
  20. season — of the year
  21. pop — soda
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bound — certain
  24. season — in sport

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