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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 ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. spell — a short time
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. rock — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. spell — magic
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. scale — in music
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. spell — letters
  12. ground — crushed
  13. scale — size or range
  14. rock — a stone
  15. last — to go on
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. last — finally
  19. ground — a position
  20. last — final
  21. stock — goods
  22. bark — to shout
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. leaves — to go away

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