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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: saw · bark · pop · jam · deal · pitcher · object · bore

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. pop — music
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. object — to protest
  9. object — an aim
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bore — to drill
  12. saw — the tool
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. object — a thing
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bore — to tire
  24. pop — soda

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