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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. lie — to recline
  7. ground — crushed
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. content — the amount
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. rock — music
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. rock — a stone
  21. bore — to drill
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — happy
  24. rock — to move gently

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