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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 124 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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. prune — to trim
  3. rest — what's left
  4. tube — the underground
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. drill — army training
  10. scale — size or range
  11. scale — in music
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. rest — a break
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tube — a container
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rest — what's left
  19. bark — to shout
  20. key — in music
  21. key — for a lock
  22. prune — to trim
  23. roll — a list
  24. tube — in a tire

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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