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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. spell — letters
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. face — part of the head
  7. track — a song
  8. bank — of a river
  9. face — to confront
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. track — to keep track
  14. spell — magic
  15. bark — to shout
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bore — to drill
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. spell — a short time
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. track — a path
  23. face — to point toward
  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