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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. present — the time now
  3. scale — in music
  4. spring — a coil
  5. present — there
  6. ground — crushed
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. ground — the earth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. ground — a position
  13. spring — the season
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. branch — a division
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. roll — a cake
  18. present — a gift
  19. spring — of water
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. bark — to shout
  22. ball — a great time
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. roll — a list

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