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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bore — to drill
  5. bore — to tire
  6. chest — of your body
  7. last — final
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. object — a thing
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bark — to shout
  12. object — an aim
  13. bound — obliged
  14. kick — in football
  15. last — finally
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. bound — tied together
  19. chest — a box
  20. saw — the tool
  21. chest — of your body
  22. saw — the tool
  23. object — to protest
  24. bound — certain

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