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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hide · tube · dip · bat · bark · calf · bore · clip

  1. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — gave birth
  2. dip — to sink
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. tube — a container
  6. clip — to cut
  7. tube — the underground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. clip — for paper
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bore — to tire
  18. clip — a video
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bat — the animal

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