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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. ball — a great time
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. scale — in music
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitch — completely
  16. bulb — for light
  17. scale — size or range
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — thin
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. pitch — a sports field

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