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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pop — music
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. cold — not warm
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. dip — to sink
  19. pop — soda
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bore — to drill
  24. wound — an injury

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