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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. scale — size or range
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. firm — decided
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. bark — to shout
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pop — to visit
  12. kid — child
  13. wind — moving air
  14. pop — music
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. pop — soda
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. scale — in music
  20. firm — steady
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — an injury
  23. kid — to tease
  24. wind — moving air

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