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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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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: bark · staff · kid · current · ball · prune · face · bore

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. staff — employees
  5. kid — to tease
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. bark — to shout
  9. staff — employees
  10. bore — to tire
  11. face — to point toward
  12. staff — a stick
  13. face — part of the head
  14. kid — child
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. ball — a great time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. current — happening now
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bore — to drill
  23. prune — to trim
  24. current — electric

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