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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. court — of law
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bank — for money
  7. net — after costs
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bank — of a river
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bank — for money
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. court — for sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bark — to shout
  18. bore — to tire
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — a grade
  21. court — of a king
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. dip — to sink

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