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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 116 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. kid — child
  8. band — a music group
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. net — for catching
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — after costs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. march — the month
  16. bark — to shout
  17. net — in sport
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. band — a ring
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. march — music
  24. kid — to tease

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