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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. rock — music
  4. bark — to shout
  5. cell — a phone
  6. ground — crushed
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. cell — in biology
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. bore — to drill
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. bore — to tire
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — the earth
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. rock — a stone
  23. scale — size or range
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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