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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. court — of a king
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hand — help
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rash — a series
  13. court — for sport
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. court — of law
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. lean — thin
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. bark — to shout
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. scale — size or range
  24. scale — in music

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