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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: patient · calf · fall · key · bark · bore · bass · pound

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bore — to drill
  4. bass — the fish
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. key — the most important part
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. bass — low music
  10. bark — to shout
  11. fall — to drop
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. fall — the season
  22. key — in music
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — a weight

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