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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. court — for sport
  7. mate — to breed
  8. court — of a king
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — an injury
  12. pass — a permit
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. mate — a partner
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. court — of law
  17. perch — the fish
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mate — a friend
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wax — to grow
  23. rock — music
  24. wax — for sculpting

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