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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — to shout
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bulb — for light
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. bulb — for light
  18. wound — an injury
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. coach — a trainer

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