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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. spring — the season
  5. object — a thing
  6. spring — a coil
  7. object — to protest
  8. spring — of water
  9. row — to paddle
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. row — a line
  15. snap — to click
  16. clip — for paper
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. mark — a trace
  19. clip — a video
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mark — a grade
  22. object — an aim
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  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