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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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. key — in music
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. net — after costs
  8. key — for a lock
  9. bark — to shout
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. wound — an injury
  12. net — in sport
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — in football
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. net — for catching
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. key — the most important part
  24. bulb — for light

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