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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 120 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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pop — to visit
  5. object — a thing
  6. pop — soda
  7. deal — to handle
  8. hand — help
  9. wind — moving air
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. object — to protest
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bore — to tire
  16. scale — in music
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. object — an aim
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pop — music
  22. bore — to drill
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bark — of a tree

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