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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: rock · saw · deal · spell · clip · ground · bark · wound

  1. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. rock — music
  5. ground — crushed
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spell — magic
  9. bark — to shout
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — a position
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. ground — the earth
  15. clip — for paper
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. spell — a short time
  18. clip — a video
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. clip — to cut
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. wound — an injury
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — letters

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