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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. plane — a tool
  4. bark — to shout
  5. land — a country
  6. fine — high quality
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — a division
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. land — ground
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. fine — all right
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. land — to come down
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. tube — in a tire

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