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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. rock — music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. bore — to drill
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. swing — in golf
  12. court — of law
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. swing — music
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bore — to tire
  18. swing — to play on
  19. court — of a king
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — for sport
  23. saw — the tool
  24. saw — the tool

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