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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bore — to tire
  6. capital — a city
  7. field — for sport
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ground — a position
  10. bore — to drill
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. drill — the tool
  16. drill — army training
  17. capital — money
  18. field — farmland
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. ground — crushed
  23. field — a subject
  24. hide — to keep secret

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