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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. rock — music
  3. fork — in a road
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rock — a stone
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. chair — a leader
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. mine — belonging to me

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