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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. scale — in music
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. bark — to shout
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. cue — a signal
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pit — in a race
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. bound — tied together
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bound — certain
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pit — a hole
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bound — obliged

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