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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: fall · staff · hand · present · bark · bore · content · fine

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bore — to tire
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — happy
  7. present — the time now
  8. bark — to shout
  9. staff — employees
  10. content — the amount
  11. hand — help
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fine — all right
  14. bore — to drill
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. staff — a stick
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. present — a gift
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. fine — high quality
  23. staff — employees
  24. fall — the season

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