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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 116 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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. staff — a stick
  3. clip — for paper
  4. staff — employees
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. tube — a container
  14. bore — to tire
  15. clip — a video
  16. tube — the underground
  17. bark — to shout
  18. march — the month
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. staff — employees
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. clip — to cut

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