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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — to visit
  4. land — to come down
  5. deal — to handle
  6. board — a committee
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — to get on
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. land — a country
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bore — to tire
  18. bark — to shout
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. land — ground
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pop — music
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. date — the fruit

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