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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — soda
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. spell — magic
  5. land — ground
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. wind — moving air
  8. land — to come down
  9. wind — moving air
  10. land — a country
  11. bark — to shout
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. pop — music
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — letters
  17. bat — the animal
  18. pop — to visit
  19. vault — a safe
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wind — to turn a key

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