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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. key — in music
  3. game — a match
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. game — wild animals
  6. key — for a lock
  7. cap — a hat
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. stock — shares
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — goods
  15. key — the most important part
  16. prune — to trim
  17. prune — to trim
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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