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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. ground — a position
  5. rock — music
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. kid — child
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. ground — crushed
  19. rock — a stone
  20. kid — to tease
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. bass — low music
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. mine — for digging

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