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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: bear · deal · mug · bark · net · dip · bore · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. bear — the animal
  3. net — for catching
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. kid — child
  6. bore — to drill
  7. bore — to tire
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mug — a cup
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. deal — to handle
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. mug — to rob
  15. net — in sport
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. net — after costs
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. mug — a face

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