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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 120 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: swing · squash · bore · bark · drill · bound · craft · key

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bound — obliged
  5. squash — to crush
  6. bound — certain
  7. bark — to shout
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. bound — tied together
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bore — to drill
  12. squash — the sport
  13. key — for a lock
  14. swing — music
  15. craft — boats
  16. swing — in golf
  17. key — the most important part
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — the tool
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. key — in music

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