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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — the most important part
  2. ground — crushed
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pound — a weight
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fork — in a road
  8. pop — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. prune — to trim
  17. ground — the earth
  18. saw — the tool
  19. key — for a lock
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. ground — a position
  22. key — in music
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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