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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. can — a tin
  3. scale — in music
  4. bulb — for light
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bulb — for light
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. scale — size or range
  16. cold — an illness
  17. can — to be able to
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. can — a tin
  22. cold — not warm
  23. bark — to shout
  24. calf — a young 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