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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. scale — size or range
  4. ground — a position
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. cell — a phone
  7. ground — the earth
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. spell — letters
  10. scale — in music
  11. object — to protest
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bark — to shout
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. object — a thing
  22. object — an aim
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. scale — for weighing

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