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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: bark · fan · bass · roll · court · mouse · key · pound

  1. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bass — low music
  3. court — for sport
  4. roll — a list
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. bark — to shout
  8. key — the most important part
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pound — a weight
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. key — for a lock
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. court — of law
  19. court — of a king
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. roll — a cake
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. mouse — for a computer

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