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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. bound — certain
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bound — tied together
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. scale — size or range
  13. bound — obliged
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. perch — the fish
  19. stock — goods
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mine — for digging

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