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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 124 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. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. clip — for paper
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pop — to visit
  6. clip — a video
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. fall — to drop
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pop — music
  11. fall — the season
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. fall — to drop
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pass — a permit
  17. clip — to cut
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bore — to drill
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. ground — a position
  24. pop — soda

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