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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. ground — the earth
  4. ground — a position
  5. squash — the sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. spring — the season
  8. mark — a grade
  9. prune — to trim
  10. firm — decided
  11. bark — to shout
  12. spring — of water
  13. firm — steady
  14. squash — to crush
  15. firm — a company
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. ground — crushed
  22. scale — size or range
  23. spring — a coil
  24. mark — a trace

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