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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. fall — the season
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fall — to drop
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — to shout
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. band — a ring
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — the fish
  24. band — a music group

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