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

Word bank: coach · wake · bark · leaves · pound · fall · bore · perch

  1. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to tire
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. pound — a weight
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. fall — to drop
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fall — the season
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fall — to drop
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. wake — a trail
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. pound — to hit hard

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