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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bear — the animal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. face — to point toward
  5. scale — in music
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cap — of ice
  8. swing — in golf
  9. face — part of the head
  10. root — the cause
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. cap — a lid
  15. root — of a plant
  16. swing — to play on
  17. snap — to click
  18. face — to confront
  19. bark — to shout
  20. root — of a word
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. swing — music

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