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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — to shout
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stock — shares
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. board — to get on
  12. stock — goods
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. board — a committee
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — the animal
  22. wave — a sudden rise
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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