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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. scale — size or range
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bark — to shout
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. perch — the fish
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pound — a weight
  17. scale — in music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. bat — the animal
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. temple — a place of worship

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