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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 116 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. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. row — a line
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. lean — thin
  7. board — a committee
  8. sharp — clever
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. perch — the fish
  11. row — to paddle
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bulb — for light
  21. lean — to bend
  22. cap — a hat
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. board — to get on

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