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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. bulb — for light
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. field — for sport
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. field — farmland
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. fall — to drop
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bore — to drill
  15. net — after costs
  16. fall — the season
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. squash — to crush
  21. net — for catching
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bulb — for light
  24. net — in sport

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