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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 116 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: rock · bore · drill · content · bark · bound · straw · mark

  1. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. bound — certain
  7. rock — music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. bark — to shout
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bound — obliged
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. drill — the tool
  17. content — happy
  18. rock — a stone
  19. bound — tied together
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. content — the amount
  23. drill — army training
  24. mark — a grade

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