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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. present — there
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. present — a gift
  7. bass — the fish
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. spell — magic
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. present — the time now
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. safe — out of danger

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