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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. pop — to visit
  3. scale — in music
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. clip — for paper
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pass — a permit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. clip — to cut
  12. shower — rain
  13. season — of the year
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. clip — a video
  17. season — in sport
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pop — music
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. shower — to wash
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pop — soda

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