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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. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. prune — to trim
  7. spring — the season
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. foot — a measure
  11. prune — to trim
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. capital — a city
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bore — to tire
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bark — to shout
  20. capital — money
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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