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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. lean — to bend
  3. bark — to shout
  4. object — to protest
  5. lean — thin
  6. object — a thing
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. track — a path
  9. key — for a lock
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. band — a music group
  12. bear — the animal
  13. ball — a dance
  14. key — in music
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. track — a song
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. track — to keep track
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. object — an aim
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bear — the animal

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