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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. bark — to shout
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. firm — a company
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. chest — a box
  8. firm — decided
  9. shower — to wash
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. wax — to grow
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. chest — of your body
  17. shower — rain
  18. chest — of your body
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. firm — steady
  21. ball — a dance
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. ball — a great time
  24. hide — to keep secret

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