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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. spring — a coil
  8. plane — a tool
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spring — of water
  11. press — to push
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. press — a publisher
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. content — the amount
  18. perch — the fish
  19. content — happy
  20. spring — the season
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — newspapers

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