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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. swing — music
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. prune — to trim
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. bark — to shout
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. perch — the fish
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bear — the animal
  18. prune — to trim
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bear — the animal
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. leaves — 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