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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 don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ground — the earth
  6. rest — what's left
  7. bark — to shout
  8. rest — a break
  9. scale — size or range
  10. plane — a tool
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ground — a position
  16. rest — what's left
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. ground — crushed
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. scale — in music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  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