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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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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: face · squash · spell · bark · key · bear · sharp · can

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. key — in music
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. spell — a short time
  9. face — part of the head
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. key — for a lock
  12. sharp — clever
  13. face — to confront
  14. squash — the sport
  15. bark — to shout
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spell — magic
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. key — the most important part
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — a tin
  23. bear — the animal
  24. squash — to crush

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