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

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. spell — a short time
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cell — in biology
  7. saw — the tool
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. spell — magic
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. key — in music
  15. key — the most important part
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — letters
  19. tube — a container
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. saw — the tool
  22. foot — a measure
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bark — to shout

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