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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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. bore — to tire
  3. last — to go on
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. last — final
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. court — for sport
  9. spring — of water
  10. rock — music
  11. spring — a coil
  12. bound — obliged
  13. court — of a king
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. rock — a stone
  17. bound — certain
  18. last — finally
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rush — hurry
  21. bark — to shout
  22. spring — the season
  23. bound — tied together
  24. court — of law

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