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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. fall — to drop
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. key — the most important part
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — army training
  9. bark — to shout
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. drill — a practice
  12. bulb — for light
  13. fall — the season
  14. ground — a position
  15. key — in music
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. ground — crushed
  22. drill — the tool
  23. key — for a lock
  24. pitcher — a jug

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