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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: bore · ground · object · last · swing · bark · craft · foot

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bark — to shout
  3. craft — boats
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. last — final
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bore — to drill
  9. object — an aim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. swing — in golf
  15. object — to protest
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — to play on
  20. craft — a skill
  21. last — finally
  22. object — a thing
  23. swing — music
  24. last — to go on

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