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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. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. present — there
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. last — final
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. last — to go on
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. bore — to drill
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. band — a music group
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. bark — to shout
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stem — to come from
  22. band — a ring
  23. last — finally
  24. bore — to tire

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