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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: cabinet · sharp · spring · clip · pass · bark · cell · bore

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. bark — to shout
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spring — of water
  9. spring — the season
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bore — to tire
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. clip — a video
  16. sharp — clever
  17. pass — a permit
  18. clip — for paper
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. clip — to cut
  21. spring — a coil
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bark — of a tree

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