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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 116 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: kid · sharp · bass · fall · bore · stick · bear · bark

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bore — to tire
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. bass — the fish
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bore — to drill
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bass — low music
  11. bark — to shout
  12. kid — to tease
  13. fall — the season
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — the animal
  22. kid — child
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. bore — gave birth

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