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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. bound — certain
  4. bound — obliged
  5. ground — a position
  6. ground — the earth
  7. bound — tied together
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bore — to drill
  11. cell — a phone
  12. bore — to tire
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. field — farmland
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. cell — in biology
  19. field — a subject
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. field — for sport
  22. bark — to shout
  23. ground — crushed
  24. mouse — the animal

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