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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. spell — a short time
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mug — to rob
  8. field — for sport
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. root — of a word
  12. perch — the fish
  13. land — a country
  14. spell — magic
  15. mug — a cup
  16. bulb — for light
  17. field — farmland
  18. bark — to shout
  19. field — a subject
  20. spell — letters
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mug — a face
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — of a plant

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