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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. present — there
  3. present — the time now
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wind — moving air
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bark — to shout
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. squash — the sport
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. present — a gift
  23. stand — to bear
  24. snap — to click

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