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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. drill — a practice
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bark — to shout
  5. spell — letters
  6. drill — army training
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — the tool
  10. spell — magic
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. season — in sport
  13. scale — in music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. row — a line
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. row — to paddle
  20. band — a ring
  21. rest — a break
  22. scale — size or range
  23. season — of the year
  24. band — a music group

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