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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 124 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bore — to tire
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. club — for dancing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. saw — the tool
  15. chest — a box
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. bore — to drill
  21. club — for golf
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. chest — of your body

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