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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. face — to confront
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. row — to paddle
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. bark — to shout
  11. row — a line
  12. charge — in control
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. charge — a price
  15. pit — a hole
  16. branch — a division
  17. face — part of the head
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to point toward
  20. pit — in a race
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. charge — electricity
  23. perch — the fish
  24. row — a quarrel

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