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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 116 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. key — for a lock
  3. key — the most important part
  4. stock — goods
  5. key — in music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. squash — the sport
  9. wind — moving air
  10. stock — shares
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bark — to shout
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — low music
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bark — of a tree

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