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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. firm — decided
  3. bore — to drill
  4. firm — a company
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. firm — steady
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. band — a music group
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spell — magic
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. tube — a container
  15. band — a ring
  16. spell — a short time
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bark — to shout
  19. spell — letters
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bore — to tire
  24. cold — an illness

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