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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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468
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: foot · dip · cold · bore · rock · bark · racket · fine

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. cold — an illness
  3. foot — a measure
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rock — music
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rock — a stone
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bore — to tire
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. cold — not warm
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. fine — all right

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