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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. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  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. craft — a skill
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. face — to confront
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. swing — music
  9. craft — boats
  10. pound — a weight
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. clip — for paper
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. bark — to shout
  17. swing — in golf
  18. clip — to cut
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bear — the animal
  21. clip — a video
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bulb — for light
  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