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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.

Make a worksheet

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: bark · bay · pitcher · wound · cold · bore · leaves · bass

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bore — to drill
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bore — to tire
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. cold — an illness
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bass — low music
  22. wound — an injury
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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