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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. drill — a practice
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. spell — magic
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. spell — letters
  11. last — finally
  12. drill — army training
  13. rash — a series
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bound — obliged
  17. last — final
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. row — a line
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bound — certain
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. last — to go on

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