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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — to get on
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bark — to shout
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bore — to tire
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. bore — to drill
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. rock — music
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. rash — a series
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. wind — moving air

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