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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stand — for spectators
  6. cold — an illness
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. club — for golf
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. club — a group
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cold — not warm
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. stand — to bear
  24. club — for dancing

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