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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bark — to shout
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. drill — army training
  10. present — the time now
  11. scale — size or range
  12. present — a gift
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. drill — a practice
  15. season — in sport
  16. present — there
  17. season — of the year
  18. swing — music
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. swing — in golf
  23. drill — the tool
  24. scale — in 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