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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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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: bark · fan · spring · leaves · sharp · pound · firm · scale

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. firm — steady
  3. bark — to shout
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. firm — decided
  7. scale — in music
  8. pound — a weight
  9. spring — the season
  10. scale — size or range
  11. spring — of water
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. sharp — clever
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. spring — a coil
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. firm — a company
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — of a tree

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