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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. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. toast — bread
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bore — to tire
  7. mine — for digging
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bore — to drill
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. shower — rain
  23. date — the fruit
  24. bound — obliged

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