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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bark — to shout
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bore — to tire
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. march — the month
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to drill
  18. cell — in biology
  19. march — music
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. cell — in a prison

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