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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: coach · bark · object · bore · present · ground · wind · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. wind — moving air
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bore — to drill
  13. deal — to handle
  14. bark — to shout
  15. present — there
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. object — an aim
  18. present — a gift
  19. object — a thing
  20. ground — crushed
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. ground — a position
  24. object — to protest

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