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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. track — a song
  3. bass — low music
  4. key — in music
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. track — a path
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ground — the earth
  11. scale — size or range
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. rock — music
  14. wound — an injury
  15. scale — in music
  16. bass — the fish
  17. wound — an injury
  18. key — for a lock
  19. track — to keep track
  20. key — the most important part
  21. ground — crushed
  22. ground — a position
  23. rock — a stone
  24. scale — for weighing

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