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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — help
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. land — ground
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. track — to keep track
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. track — a path
  11. land — a country
  12. track — a song
  13. bark — to shout
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. perch — the fish
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. land — to come down
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. fall — the season
  22. fall — to drop
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hand — in cards

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