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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bore — to drill
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — a song
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wound — an injury
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. prune — to trim
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. club — a group
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — in football
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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