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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. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. drill — army training
  3. fall — to drop
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. key — in music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. prune — to trim
  10. board — to get on
  11. key — for a lock
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bark — to shout
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. board — a committee
  16. fine — all right
  17. fine — high quality
  18. game — wild animals
  19. fall — the season
  20. game — a match
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. key — the most important part

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