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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: bark · drill · lean · date · present · mouse · clip · bay

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. present — a gift
  3. lean — to bend
  4. drill — the tool
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. present — there
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. clip — to cut
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. clip — a video
  12. lean — thin
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. date — the fruit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. clip — for paper
  18. drill — army training
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. drill — a practice
  21. present — the time now
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. date — on the calendar

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