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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. bark — to shout
  6. deal — to handle
  7. spring — a coil
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. spring — the season
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. wax — to grow
  14. drill — army training
  15. perch — the fish
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spring — of water
  20. stem — to come from
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. drill — the tool

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