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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cabinet · bark · chest · object · key · bulb · sharp · wind

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. object — a thing
  5. bulb — for light
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. wind — moving air
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. bark — to shout
  11. chest — a box
  12. sharp — clever
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bulb — for light
  15. key — the most important part
  16. object — an aim
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. key — in music
  24. object — to protest

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