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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. spring — of water
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. row — a line
  6. can — a tin
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. rock — music
  9. spring — a coil
  10. can — to be able to
  11. drill — army training
  12. scale — in music
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. spring — the season
  17. rock — a stone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. can — a tin
  23. bark — to shout
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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