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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. bark — to shout
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. band — a ring
  6. cell — a phone
  7. bulb — for light
  8. band — a music group
  9. bulb — for light
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. mug — a face
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. mug — to rob
  15. scale — in music
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. mug — a cup
  20. lean — to bend
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. cell — in biology
  23. foot — a measure
  24. lean — thin

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