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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. rock — music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rash — a series
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. snap — to click
  7. bark — to shout
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. ball — a great time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. key — in music
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — a weight
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rock — a stone
  24. bark — of a tree

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