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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 120 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: rock · bore · firm · rush · bark · pitcher · land · cap

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. bore — to tire
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. cap — a lid
  7. land — a country
  8. rock — music
  9. cap — of ice
  10. bore — to drill
  11. land — to come down
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. firm — steady
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. rock — a stone
  16. firm — a company
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. land — ground
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. firm — decided
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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