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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. spell — letters
  7. bear — the animal
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. bear — the animal
  11. clip — for paper
  12. scale — in music
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. wind — moving air
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. scale — size or range
  19. spell — magic
  20. clip — a video
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bark — to shout
  24. bear — to put up with

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