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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. key — for a lock
  4. perch — the fish
  5. key — the most important part
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. pound — a weight
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. key — in music
  12. bark — to shout
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to click
  17. suit — clothes
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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