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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: wave · court · calf · file · squash · bark · bore · kick

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bore — to drill
  3. file — a document
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. squash — to crush
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. bark — to shout
  10. court — of a king
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. file — a tool
  13. file — a line of people
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bore — to tire
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — for sport
  22. kick — in football
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — the sport

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