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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: can · bark · bat · firm · chair · squash · bore · object

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. object — to protest
  3. firm — a company
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. can — a tin
  9. object — a thing
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. can — to be able to
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. bore — to drill
  15. chair — a leader
  16. squash — the sport
  17. can — a tin
  18. object — an aim
  19. firm — steady
  20. bark — to shout
  21. firm — decided
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. bore — to tire

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