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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. scale — in music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. spring — of water
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. fall — to drop
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. drill — army training
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. ball — a dance
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. spring — the season
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. spring — a coil
  17. season — of the year
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. drill — the tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. season — in sport
  22. ball — a great time
  23. scale — size or range
  24. fall — the season

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