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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 116 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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. drill — army training
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. object — to protest
  10. field — a subject
  11. dip — to sink
  12. field — for sport
  13. drill — a practice
  14. scale — in music
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. object — a thing
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitch — completely
  20. field — farmland
  21. object — an aim
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. calf — a young animal

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