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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. mine — for digging
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bear — the animal
  11. face — to point toward
  12. club — a group
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. club — for golf
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bore — to tire
  19. pitch — completely
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — part of the head
  22. scale — in music
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. bark — to shout

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