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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 120 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bore — gave birth
  3. bore — to drill
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. fall — to drop
  7. march — the month
  8. club — for golf
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. club — for dancing
  11. club — a group
  12. object — to protest
  13. object — an aim
  14. fall — the season
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. object — a thing
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bark — to shout
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — high quality
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bore — to tire

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