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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: clip · bear · date · bore · squash · last · cell · bark

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bear — the animal
  4. bore — to drill
  5. clip — a video
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. squash — to crush
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. date — the fruit
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. squash — the sport
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bark — to shout
  22. cell — a phone
  23. clip — to cut
  24. last — final

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