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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: tube · bark · kid · scale · ground · bore · land · roll

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ground — crushed
  5. roll — a list
  6. land — a country
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. ground — a position
  10. kid — child
  11. land — ground
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. tube — a container
  14. tube — the underground
  15. bore — to tire
  16. land — to come down
  17. bark — to shout
  18. kid — to tease
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ground — the earth
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. scale — size or range
  23. roll — a cake
  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