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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — the fish
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bear — the animal
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. band — a music group
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. face — part of the head
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pound — a weight
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. band — a ring
  24. row — a line

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