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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: field · cabinet · bark · lie · racket · content · present · bore

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — happy
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — farmland
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. present — there
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — for sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. present — a gift
  16. bark — to shout
  17. bore — to tire
  18. field — a subject
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. present — the time now
  24. bore — to drill

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