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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. pop — music
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cap — a hat
  6. cap — of ice
  7. cell — a phone
  8. scale — size or range
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. cap — a lid
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bark — to shout
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. cell — in biology
  17. pop — soda
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. scale — in music
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pop — to visit
  22. sharp — clever
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. cell — in a prison

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