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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bore — to drill
  4. club — a group
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. club — for golf
  9. wake — a trail
  10. mine — for digging
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bark — to shout
  15. hand — help
  16. squash — to crush
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. squash — the sport
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. hand — in cards
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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