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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. fall — the season
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. staff — a stick
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — of your body
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — soda
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fall — to drop
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. scale — in music
  16. game — a match
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pop — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — wild animals
  21. chest — a box
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wake — a trail
  24. fall — to drop

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