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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. deal — to handle
  3. perch — the fish
  4. object — to protest
  5. object — an aim
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. tear — to rip
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. tear — from crying
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — army training
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. object — a thing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. drill — a practice

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