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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. scale — in music
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rock — a stone
  8. net — for catching
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. net — after costs
  13. prune — to trim
  14. bark — to shout
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. net — in sport
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. stand — to bear

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