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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fine — all right
  3. fine — high quality
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bore — to drill
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. season — of the year
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. bore — to tire
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. plane — a tool
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. season — in sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. ruler — a monarch

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