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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — to shout
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. lean — to bend
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. shower — rain
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. lean — thin
  16. bear — the animal
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. shower — to wash
  19. prune — to trim
  20. plane — a tool
  21. bear — the animal
  22. prune — to trim
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. march — the month

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