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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. drill — army training
  6. bark — to shout
  7. game — wild animals
  8. fork — in a road
  9. drill — a practice
  10. drill — the tool
  11. bass — the fish
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. scale — in music
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. prune — to trim
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. game — a match
  24. bass — low music

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