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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 124 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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. scale — in music
  3. bark — to shout
  4. chest — a box
  5. current — of water
  6. scale — size or range
  7. current — happening now
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. chest — of your body
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. present — the time now
  13. chest — of your body
  14. band — a music group
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. present — there
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. plane — a tool
  20. current — electric
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. band — a ring

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