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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. mark — a grade
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. band — a music group
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. band — a ring
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. scale — in music
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — in cards
  14. spell — letters
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. mark — a trace
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bark — to shout
  19. kick — in football
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. suit — to fit

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