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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 120 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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. cap — a lid
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. mark — a trace
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. tear — from crying
  13. bark — to shout
  14. tear — to rip
  15. perch — the fish
  16. rule — a law
  17. cap — a hat
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. tear — from crying
  20. mark — a grade
  21. cap — of ice
  22. rule — government
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. chair — a leader

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