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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: bass · ground · bark · net · firm · bore · fork · squash

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bore — to tire
  3. bass — low music
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. firm — steady
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. ground — the earth
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. ground — a position
  11. squash — the sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. net — in sport
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bore — to drill
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. fork — in a road
  20. net — after costs
  21. firm — decided
  22. net — for catching
  23. squash — to crush
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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