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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bound — certain
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spring — of water
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. dip — to sink
  17. spring — a coil
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bark — to shout
  20. spring — the season
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — obliged
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cold — an illness

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