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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. can — to be able to
  3. hand — help
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bark — to shout
  6. mug — a cup
  7. can — a tin
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. cell — in biology
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. row — to paddle
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. row — a line
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mug — a face
  16. mug — to rob
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. hand — in cards
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. perch — for a bird

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