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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. net — in sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. court — of law
  5. bark — to shout
  6. key — for a lock
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. court — of a king
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. court — for sport
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. tube — the underground
  15. net — after costs
  16. key — the most important part
  17. prune — to trim
  18. net — for catching
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. prune — to trim
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. key — in music
  24. pound — to hit hard

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