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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 124 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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. scale — size or range
  4. object — an aim
  5. spring — the season
  6. spring — a coil
  7. present — a gift
  8. hand — in cards
  9. hand — help
  10. object — a thing
  11. present — the time now
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — to drop
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fall — the season
  18. wake — a trail
  19. object — to protest
  20. spring — of water
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. bark — to shout
  23. present — there
  24. scale — for weighing

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