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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. key — in music
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. craft — boats
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. key — the most important part
  7. clip — a video
  8. spell — magic
  9. scale — size or range
  10. net — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. scale — in music
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — after costs
  15. craft — a skill
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bark — to shout
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — for paper
  20. track — a song
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. track — a path
  23. spell — a short time
  24. clip — to cut

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