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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: cabinet · bore · cue · pitcher · temple · bark · pit · wound

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. pit — a hole
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — a signal
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. pit — in a race
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cue — for pool
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bore — to tire

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