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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bass — the fish
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. scale — in music
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bear — the animal
  8. vault — a safe
  9. content — the amount
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. dip — to sink
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. scale — size or range
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bass — low music
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. content — happy
  24. bark — to shout

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