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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. bass — low music
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. drill — the tool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. clip — a video
  8. wound — an injury
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. current — electric
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. bark — to shout
  15. current — happening now
  16. clip — to cut
  17. clip — for paper
  18. current — of water
  19. drill — army training
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wound — an injury
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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