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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. scale — in music
  4. can — a tin
  5. clip — a video
  6. scale — size or range
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. wound — an injury
  11. clip — for paper
  12. clip — to cut
  13. can — to be able to
  14. wound — an injury
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bound — tied together
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bound — obliged
  23. bound — certain
  24. kid — child

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