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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rock — a stone
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. lie — to recline
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. capital — a city
  10. hand — help
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — in cards
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bark — to shout
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. rock — music
  18. capital — money
  19. perch — the fish
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. perch — for a bird

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