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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 120 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. cell — a phone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. bark — to shout
  10. object — to protest
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. deal — to handle
  13. cell — in biology
  14. track — a path
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. object — an aim
  20. object — a thing
  21. fork — in a road
  22. track — a song
  23. track — to keep track
  24. mark — a trace

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