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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. key — in music
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — of ice
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. wind — moving air
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cap — a lid
  16. key — the most important part
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. bark — to shout
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. perch — the fish
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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