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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — in music
  3. degree — an amount
  4. craft — a skill
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. degree — temperature
  10. degree — from a university
  11. scale — size or range
  12. lean — thin
  13. bark — to shout
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. lean — to bend
  17. pitch — completely
  18. craft — boats
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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