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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. bass — low music
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. can — a tin
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. lie — to recline
  10. bark — to shout
  11. mine — for digging
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pound — a weight
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. can — a tin
  21. chip — to eat
  22. bass — the fish
  23. can — to be able to
  24. mine — an explosive

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