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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. ground — a position
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ground — crushed
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. key — for a lock
  10. key — the most important part
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bark — to shout
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. ground — the earth
  16. bass — the fish
  17. spell — letters
  18. bore — to tire
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. bore — to drill
  21. spell — magic
  22. key — in music
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. bass — the instrument

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