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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: suit · swing · bore · chair · kid · bark · shower · bulb

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. bore — to drill
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. chair — a leader
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. kid — to tease
  9. swing — music
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bark — to shout
  12. suit — in cards
  13. suit — to fit
  14. bulb — for light
  15. kid — child
  16. shower — rain
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. swing — to play on
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. swing — in golf
  24. chair — a professorship

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