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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. scale — size or range
  3. field — for sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. club — for dancing
  6. cue — a signal
  7. club — a group
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. plane — a tool
  10. cue — for pool
  11. cue — a hint
  12. field — a subject
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. scale — in music
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. field — farmland
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bark — to shout
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — certain

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