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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. rash — a series
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. present — a gift
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. shower — rain
  10. bore — to tire
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. present — the time now
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. present — there
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bear — the animal
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bear — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. bark — to shout
  24. coach — a trainer

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