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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bear — the animal
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bark — to shout
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — to be able to
  8. season — of the year
  9. bound — certain
  10. bore — to drill
  11. bound — obliged
  12. bore — to tire
  13. can — a tin
  14. bound — tied together
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. bear — the animal
  18. track — a path
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. season — in sport
  24. track — a song

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