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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 120 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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. lie — to recline
  13. mine — for digging
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bark — to shout
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pitch — completely

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