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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. saw — the tool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. bore — to tire
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. mug — a face
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. land — to come down
  12. mug — a cup
  13. mug — to rob
  14. clip — a video
  15. bore — to drill
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. land — ground
  23. board — a committee
  24. board — to get on

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