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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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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: race · bark · pound · hand · mate · bore · present · safe

  1. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bore — to tire
  3. present — the time now
  4. bark — to shout
  5. race — humankind
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. pound — a weight
  9. present — a gift
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. present — there
  13. race — a contest
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. mate — a friend
  17. race — the arms race
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — a partner
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bore — to drill
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. hand — help
  24. bark — of a tree

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