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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. bark — to shout
  3. scale — in music
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. game — wild animals
  10. band — a music group
  11. pound — a weight
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. foot — a measure
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — a match
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. band — a ring
  24. scale — size or range

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